


Blood and Duty

by Yidenia



Series: Fairy Moon [1]
Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: Angst, Childhood, Father-Son Relationship, Fatherhood, Friendship, Gen, tragic past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-08-19 03:00:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8186857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yidenia/pseuds/Yidenia
Summary: Semi-AU. When Clow Reed died, Yue wandered the earth, alone and lost, for thousands of years, watching the world move on as he lingered in the past. He came upon a five-year-old Syaoran, orphaned on the run from sorcerers out for his blood. Syaoran found a protector and a parent in Yue, and Yue found a new purpose and reason for happiness in Syaoran. However, six years later, Sakura becomes Card Master instead of Syaoran, which means Yue's first allegiance is to her. Now, the two have to adjust to the changes this inflicts on them.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Transferred from fanfiction net. This is, perhaps, one of my favorite works in this fandom.

At first it was alright. The girl was there, with her friend, Kero was delighted, and Syaoran congratulated her, they did a strange spinning dance around the empty park and laughed, and Yue did not have to face him. Mizuki Kaho stood to the side, smiling serenely as the children celebrated, and there was a lot of excited chatter, about how life might go back to normal but will never be the same again. Optimism. Hope.

But then the others left, Kero with them, and it was just him and Syaoran.

There was a particular numbness in the boy's posture that did not quite reflect disappointment. Apathy, more like, and something between them shifted, altered, balancing on a precarious precipice that was never there before. He looked the boy over discreetly as they went home, wondering if the blasted child was hiding injuries and if there were ones even deeper than that. Syaoran was good, but he was not strong, and he did not have as many cards as Sakura did, and Yue wondered if he had been too hard on him.

He was the judge though. Judges had to be fair. The trial with Syaoran was fair.

The trial with Sakura wasn't.

They said nothing on the way back, though on Syaoran's part, the boy seemed comfortable with the silence. He stared straight ahead, and when they came to the front door he took out his keys and unlocked it before Yue had a chance to. Slip in, turn on the lights, close the blinds, and Yue hesitated as the boy went to the sink to wash his hands. Everything normal, routine. They had done this every time they came home together in the evening. Then they would cook dinner together, or one of them would while the other did something else. Syaoran was taking off his robes as he went upstairs. Normal.

No, this wasn't normal. They needed to talk. They should have talked on the way here, but perhaps they could talk now.

It was Syaoran who broke the silence first. He came down in a t-shirt and shorts and halted on the steps.

" _Daijoubu desu ka,_ Yue?"

Still "Yue", not " _Yue-san_ ". Things had not drifted so far apart that Syaoran felt the need to attach an honorific. Unsurprisingly, despite how he mentally grabbed at this detail, Yue did not feel relieved.

"Are you?" He asked instead.

Syaoran glanced down at the cut on his knee, and Yue felt the beginnings of a flush blooming on his face. He had not even seen the cut, but the boy assumed he had been asking about that.

"It'll keep," The boy shrugged. "I didn't even notice it was there until I changed."

"Oh," Yue said softly.

The child regarded him for a moment, and Yue was reminded painfully of that day, five years ago, the same eyes on a smaller face regarding him, just as intense but filled with wariness, distrust, defiance. Now the defiance remained, but beyond that…he could not really see what Syaoran was thinking.

"She'll be good," Said the boy. "She's a kind girl. And she gets along with that stuffed toy."

"You would too, if you stop calling him a stuffed toy," Yue frowned a little. "You don't even try."

"And now I won't have to!" Syaoran laughed, turning away just in time to miss the sharp pang that resonated from deep within the guardian's heart. He watched the child disappear into the kitchen.

"Not that I didn't try, mind you," He heard the boy go on as he took out the rice to wash them, "Annoying Kero for the rest of my life has its own appeal."

Yue swallowed something that tasted like bile, or probably tasted like bile if he ever had any. " _Sumimasen._ "

"For what?"

 _Stop avoiding this._  "I wanted you to be the master. I really did."

"I know," Said Syaoran, and the water turned on. "But Clow Reed had other ideas hm?"

Yue stood for a while near the doorway as Syaoran finished washing the rice.

"I had no idea," He said at last. "I didn't know anything about the bell."

Syaoran could not hear him over the water, however. He listened to the bustle as the boy dumped the rice in the rice cooker and set it up. He came out of the kitchen and looked at Yue again with those unfathomable eyes.

" _Daijoubu desu ka?_ " He asked again. "You went through two trials. I only went through one."

 _Stop avoiding this._  "We should talk about this."

"…About…?" Syaoran gave him a look of incredulity. "What's there to talk about? I lost, she won. That's…pretty much it."

"She had help. You…you're not upset at all about this?" It was Yue's turn to be incredulous.

"Well, I'm not ecstatic, but I think I always kind of knew. The way the cards always gravitate to her." Syaoran blinked. Something in him seemed to sink, even though there was no change in his posture or expression. "I guess it's not as shocking to me as it is to you. Well, the cheating was, but the end result, I think I saw that one coming for a while."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Yue found himself getting angry as horror filled him. His mind stretched to the past year, wondering if there had been any signs he had missed. "Why didn't you tell me you felt this way before?"

"What was I going to say? Besides, saying it out loud made it seem more real. It's not like I  _preferred_ this." Syaoran folded his arms. "So, what happens now?"

Yue blinked, caught off-guard by the question—it seemed so strange since Syaoran had behaved as if nothing had changed, that he was confident nothing  _will_ change—

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to move in with her, like Kero?" Syaoran asked. "Or get her to move in with you? She has a family so that might be a bit inconvenient."

Yue felt like Syaoran had just overturned a bucket full of water over him. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, she's the Card Mistress now," The boy said, and proving that he  _did_ know the significance of the Final Judgment, went on to elaborate, "You're loyalty is strictly to her now. It would be easier to protect her if you live closer."

"What about you?" Yue asked, and then felt ridiculous. Shouldn't this be a question  _Syaoran_ was asking?

"I don't know. I'll figure something out."

" _Matte_ ," Yue gathered his thoughts together—Syaoran was leading the conversation in a direction he simply could not condone. It was his turn to direct the topic. "Are you saying you're  _leaving?_ " Just because this ten-year-old child once survived as a five-year-old did not mean that it was any less ludicrous. "Where would you go?"

"I don't know…" Syaoran scowled, "I'll figure something out. Did before. Besides," He went on before Yue could protest, "You're the one who's leaving, not me."

"Since when was I leaving?"

"…Ano…aren't you? I mean, Kinomoto is the Card Mistress now."

That bitterness in his mouth was definitely bile. Yue swept across the room and knelt in front of the boy.  _Kami-sama_ , the child was small, average for his age but so small, like the girl, but so alone. He grabbed Syaoran by the upper arms and wished he could will his thoughts and feelings through the contact into the boy so he would not have to say it; he always had a hard time articulating his feelings out loud, and never did he hate this flaw more than he did now.

"I promised I would take care of you," He said, looking deep into those amber eyes. Five years ago, Syaoran had been a small waif, all skin and bones and terror and courage, wary of sorcery and anything to do with magic because of what it had done to his family. Yue never told the boy, but he still studied the scar the child gave him sometimes, marveling at how Fate worked to bring together the cold-hearted guardian and the fiery youngster with more spirit than any sorcerer could crush.

"You have," Said Syaoran, blinking at him. "I never said you didn't."

"I promised I would take care of you," Yue repeated, "And I will. I'm not leaving you. Not over…not over this."

"I'm not the Card Master—and it's obvious that Clow Reed didn't design the cards to be passed down through the bloodline."

"I don't care!" Yue shook the boy a little, "It was never your blood that mattered to me!"

For the first time, the child looked genuinely surprised, as if he had believed this…all along—Yue suppressed the urge to shake the boy again for being so  _stupid_ and so—

"Then what mattered to you?" Syaoran exclaimed, blatant confusion shining in his eyes. "Why did you save me?"

Save him…Yue wanted to laugh.  _Save Syaoran?_  It was more like Syaoran had saved him.

The phone suddenly rang, breaking the delicate moment. Syaoran shrugged from his grip and went to get it.

"Oh,  _konbonwa, Yamazaki-san!_  Oh no, this isn't a bad time.  _Nani?_  Of course." His voice grew fainter as he went upstairs.

Yue stood straight and stared down at his hands before bringing them up to cover his face.


	2. Chapter Two

Five years ago, Yue's life changed.

It seemed fitting that the individual who should turn his world upside down this time was descended from the one who created him, whose death left him broken and nigh incapable of functioning. As he watched his new young charge examine his new residence, the guardian found himself wondering how in the name of all forces he had survived for the past few millennia. It felt like something out of a nightmare, and yet he could not tell which seemed more real, the long dark past when he could feel nothing but cold, black despair, or this strange sense of hope and purpose that was the present.

As Syaoran poked his head in to one of the rooms, Yue felt himself speak without deciding to.

_That's your room._

The look Syaoran gave him was as defiant as always, but the guardian could read fear, terror, apprehension, as if stepping into his own room was an arrival of sorts, more so than coming to this house, more so than any verbal pledge. He met that fiery gaze steadily, trying not to reveal how nervous he himself was.

 _I didn't know what you would like,_ He could not keep the anxiety from his voice,  _I thought you might like green. You like green, right? And I put white there too, to make the room brighter. We can change it later, if you don't like it._

 _I like green,_  Syaoran said quietly. There was an expression on his face that Yue had never seen before.  _It's my favorite color._

He still did not enter the room.

 _Is it really mine?_  The child asked after a moment.

_Yes._

Syaoran stared for a moment, before stepping in, his motions deliberate and careful, as if the world would shatter if he made a mistake. Yue followed close, but stopped at the door to allow the little one to look around in his new sanctuary.

The child turned his head around, blinking owlishly, before coming back out and huddling next to Yue. After a moment, Yue knelt down and placed an arm around him.

 _What's wrong?_ He asked.

_I'm scared._

Yue was quiet for a moment. There was something he should say to this. Syaoran had always denied ever being afraid.

 _I am too,_ He admitted. Clow Reed always said that when in doubt, the truth was always safest, at least among family, and Syaoran was his family now.

A soft giggle drew him out of his thoughts. Syaoran still looked terrified, but marginally less so.

_Is it weird that it makes me feel better?_

_Maybe._  Yue did not know what to say.

 _Hehe,_  Syaoran ducked his head,  _We'll be scared together._

Yue hesitated again, before drawing the boy close.

 _We'll be alright,_ He said to the child.

Syaoran nodded, and all of the sudden, everything  _was_ alright.

* * *

 

Touya plopped down next to Yue without even saying hi.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" The guardian drawled.

"I should be doing tons of things," Said Touya. "Getting a girlfriend, for example. What can we do."

"What do you want?"

The teenage youth looked at him. "Aren't you the sunshine guy today."

"I'm the guardian of the  _moon._ "

"Isn't that ominous." Touya slouched forward.

"Seriously," Yue snapped, "What do you want?"

"We need to talk."

Curious that the person he wanted to talk to refused to talk to him about anything important, but the last person he wanted to talk to was insisting. "What's there to talk about?"

"You, me, my sister, the  _gaki_. That's like, four topics already."

Yue looked away.

"She cheated. We all know it," Touya said casually, "I don't understand why you had to agree to it, seeing as you're the judge. She told me about it."

"She must have neglected to mention that my position as 'judge' was a fluke after all. Clow Reed already decided on the successor. I was just there to make it look dramatic."

"Is there no way to, I don't know, annul it? I mean, what does this mean, exactly? And even if she's the Card Mistress, that doesn't mean you have to obey her or anything. You're not a slave!"

When Yue did not reply, Touya cursed.

"You're kidding me."

"I'm not human. It's not like I have human rights." Yue glanced at his hand as if there were words written on it, saying 'Not-Human'. "Clow Reed created me, I am his creation, he called all the shots and I have to go along with them.

"But what about the gaki?"

"What about him?" Yue felt an odd pressure in his eyes as he looked at Touya. "I don't know. I've only been trying to figure that out all night. And all day."

Syaoran had not eaten much, most of dinner was placed in the fridge, and then the boy went to his room to do his homework. He called Yamazaki again and they were engrossed in conversation, so Yue opted to wait for them to finish doing the assignments together, but then Syaoran declared he was tired, showered and went to bed.

The boy had to be bothered. There was no denying it. Yue simply did not know what to do.

"Is he mad at you?"

"I don't know. He refuses to talk about it."

"Did you hurt him?"

"Of course I did. It was the Final Judgment. I had to give my all." Yue wondered what other cuts and bruises he missed. Syaoran's gait had been fine, and there was nothing in his motions that indicated any injury, even this morning.

"But you can still raise him," Touya leaned forward, "You're doing a lousy job, but you can still try to wean the  _gaki_  out of him. Just because Sakura's the Card Mistress doesn't mean she has to have you at her side twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week."

Yue looked away. "He's an orphan," He said quietly, "He went through a year of hell, on the run because of his family background. For a year, he learned what it was like to be meaningless to anyone and everyone. I'm supposed to…I promised him that he will always be my priority."

"Well he can still be your priority."

" _Iie,_  Sakura is."

Touya paused.

"You know," He began, "This is sort of what siblings are all about. You're never  _the_ priority in the family, you're just  _a_ priority. Those two sort of get along now these days, even if he's a freaking  _gaki_ , it's like brother and sister. You'll figure something out. It's not such a big deal."

"It is when it's consistent," Said Yue. "It's not like your  _Otou-san_ keeps choosing Sakura over you or you over Sakura every time. I'm not a real person. He's going to be behind Sakura, every time, and it's not because I want it to be like that, I have to do it."

"Well how many times do you think you're going to need to choose between them?"

"If Clow Reed was any indication, many. There's a reason he created two guardians for these cards and their master, when he could have just settled for one, or none." Yue folded his arms. "Sakura will probably have to put up with a lot of attention from the magical world now."

Touya paused again. "Is she in danger?"

"She is and she isn't. She'll be famous. She'll have the cards to back up that fame."

"Well then just take it as it goes. It's not the end of the world." Touya slapped Yue on the back.

"It's not," Yue agreed, "But I wanted it to be him. I don't want to risk my life, my existence for Sakura when he might still need me, and I don't want him to be behind her. I don't care about your sister. I don't care that she's a nice girl. I haven't raised her for the past five years, and she hasn't taken care of me for the past five years when Kero was sleeping blissfully in the book and I had no one on earth at all. Syaoran has no one else. Sakura has you, has her father, has Daidouji. I'm the only one he has, and I promised him I will be there for him. Look, I don't want to talk about this."

Touya was silent for a long while this time.

"Sakura adores him," He said quietly, "She's always inviting him to things. It sounds like the kid already had enough problems—I mean, the folks who were after him because of his background are still going to be after him, right? Maybe he doesn't need any more attention than he already has."

"Maybe."

"Look, ultimately, we all have to take care of ourselves."

"I know." Yue wished he could articulate the profound disappointment he felt—in himself, in Clow, in Sakura. "She cheated."

" _Hai._ "

"I know it wasn't actually her fault." Yue folded his arms. "But I don't see why Clow couldn't have looked out for his own descendant like that, if he was going to do that to me."

Mainly, it was indignation, frustration, dashed hopes. Ironically, from the master he had loved dearly.

"You'll be alright," Touya said gently, "Anyone can see that you love him, whatever this magic contract has you under. I'm sure he knows that too; he's not a moron. And after this year? After everything we've been through together? We'll help you through this. Both of you. You're not alone, and there will be a way to work with this. We'll help you find a way."

"I don't know." Yue said, feeling very depressed, "He's not talking to me. I don't know how to get him to talk to me."

"Then maybe I can talk to him."

"He thinks  _you're_ a  _gaki._ "

"Then he wouldn't be offended if I club him upside the head. Don't worry, I won't hurt him. Much."

Yue resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Sometimes an outsider can help," Touya pointed out.

* * *

 

Their very first week together was horrible. Syaoran was scared and anxious, and Yue had been as well. The boy tiptoed around him, afraid of his magic, afraid that Yue might hand him over after all and somehow concluding that his best chances of avoiding that was to be on his best behavior. Yue tried to remember if Clow had ever done anything in such situations, but the great sorcerer had always been so comfortable with everyone and anything good. Children were at ease with him, young maidens, parents, grandparents—everyone had liked Clow.

Yue was a guardian. He was supposed to be menacing, aloof, unapproachable, and everything from his features to his personality was consistent with that.

The first week was horrible.

The second week was marginally worse, and yet significantly better. Syaoran began testing him.

It was not a normal five-year-old's way of testing. He became challenging, waiting for the other shoe to drop, or however humans put it.  _I'm not a sorcerer,_  Said the child, even as Yue bared the scar the boy's lightning had given him.  _That was luck._

_There's no such thing as luck._

_That's because you're crazy. And you're an idiot._

It was better, because in between the scathing remarks, surprisingly mature for someone so young, were hints and windows of what the boy had suffered.  _What are you going to do to me, huh? This is nothing compared to that time when I nearly drowned in the river, and it was raining, and my leg was broken so I couldn't swim._

_How did you escape?_

_I was lucky. The river did most of the work. I just had to make my way to the bank using my arms. It's mostly arms, anyway, and my other leg. Coughed forever, though._ He still had that cough.  _They caught me, wanted to transport me back. I coughed all over them, so they avoided me._

_And you escaped?_

_Uh-huh._

_What about your broken leg?_

_I can limp very very fast._

_Even when you're sick?_

_Not like I had a choice._

Tough child, unhappy child, almost crazed, feral, when Yue first met him. Starved, exhausted, desperate, frightened, and sick, all at once.

_I won't abandon you._

_We'll see, won't we?_

By the end of the week, Yue was tired, and that was when he thought about flying. He always flew to clear his thoughts, high in the sky near the moon that was his element. He found it freeing, glorious, the best skill he had, and then he considered his unhappy charge and wondered if perhaps the child would find it as soothing as he did.

Syaoran was skeptical. He lived in the same house, ate from the same table, even hugged Yue on occasion, but to hand over his body like that to the guardian—that took significant trust. He watched the conflict in the boy's amber eyes before the child finally stepped forward and raised his hands up. All of the sudden, Yue was afraid. What if he dropped the boy? What if he held on too tightly?

And then in a rush of air, all of that was gone. He learned that Syaoran had an infectious giggle. It was the rowdiest flight Yue ever had, which was impressive given that he use to fly with Kero and Ruby and Spinel. The boy wanted to pretend he was flying himself, which made for a few close calls, but they sailed above the world and their hearts lifted with it. They landed on a cliff overlooking a valley and Syaoran wept heartwrenchingly, switching abruptly from laughter to sobbing.

_I miss Mama. I miss Jiejie. I want them back. I really really miss them._

He cried for the whole night, even when Yue tucked the boy to him the way Clow would comfort Yue in the past. In the morning the defiant eyes were red and swollen, but the wariness was gone.

* * *

 

" _Konnichiwa, Yue-san,"_  Mizuki Kaho greeted pleasantly when the guardian found her.

"You have a lot of nerve," Yue said coldly, "Pretending you have any right to speak to me."

Her smile froze at this, and she gave him a puzzled look.

"You are unhappy with the outcome," She said.

"Did you expect me to be satisfied with cheating?"

"She had a little help from the master himself. I merely did what was required."

"I am his creation," Said the guardian scathingly, "And even I know he is fallible. Who do you think you are?"

She glanced down. "The events of that night were already set in motion long before I came along. If I had not stepped in, something else would have."

"But you are ever so pleased that you were the one," Yue pushed relentlessly. "I do not care about that girl."

Mizuki's face became hard. "She is a good girl."

"I know. And her brother is a good man." An icey crystal formed in Yue's hand, and he pointed it at the despicable woman. "But I refuse to serve someone just because Clow was not wise enough to realize I can find love on my own."

Mizuki glanced at the crystal pointed at her throat. "What do you want me to do?" She asked. "I am not Clow. I have neither his power nor his knowledge of magic. I cannot cut you off from the Clow Cards. Your existence is dependent on their magic, and, if I am correct…on the magic of your master."

Yue lowered his crystal at this.

"Clow's magic sustained me for this long."

"It was designed to sustain you until your new master can support you."

Yue turned away.

"You wanted that boy to be the master."

Yue glared at her. "You do not understand. You are only a mortal—your life is but a breath in my memory, less. I watched the landscape change, the people change. I watched cultures die and countries form. I think at this point, I know quite a bit more about the world, about life, than Clow Reed ever can. He was but a man." He turned away. "If he had truly been kind, he would have given me either immortality or emotion, but not both." He clenched his fists as a well of hatred bloomed in his chest as he recalled all those centuries, and reflected on the centuries to come. "Syaoran was my only happiness."

It was a long time before Mizuki spoke again. " _Gomen nasai,"_  She said quietly. "We are all slaves to a greater plan."

"You're a fool," Yue said in disgust, "You're only contrite  _now,_ because  _now_ you realize I actually want things."

He left her.

* * *

 

"Did you make the elder Kinomoto talk to me today?"

" _Iie._ "

"Liar." Syaoran shoved him across the sofa before taking a seat. "You realize we don't like each other, right?"

"Only because you keep insulting him."

"Hey, not my fault if he can't keep up the banter." The boy folded his arms. "Do you have any idea how awkward it was?"

Despite himself, Yue snorted.  _It must have been quite awkward._

Syaoran then grabbed Yue's upturned knee and draped himself over it. "Are you feeling better?"

Was  _he_ feeling better? Was the child daft?

"How's that cut? And whatever other injuries you're probably hiding from me."

"Well if you must know, my ankle's swollen," Syaoran lifted his foot like a ballet dancer, "Kind of hurts. Swelled up in the middle of class today. It was weird."

Yue reached over and felt.

"Ow."

"It's inflamed."

"No kidding, genius."

Yue whacked him on the head. Syaoran giggled.

"Oh, so you  _are_ feeling better, I see."

"What did  _Touya-kun_   _tell_ you?"

"I don't know. The only two words he seemed to know were  _'baka'_ and ' _gaki'._  I caught that you were upset somewhere in between them. My Japanese must be improving."

"I'll get some ice," Yue stood up.

"You know that only works for acute swellings!" Syaoran called from behind him, "Though ice would feel nice. Forget I said anything."

Getting ice was a quick affair. Yue came back with the bundled cloth and pressed it against the ankle.

"I'm not mad at you," Said Syaoran. "I was thinking you would be mad at  _me_ , until I learned it was rigged. I didn't want you to feel obligated toward me when you have new duties now."

Yue pressed his face onto Syaoran's thigh at this. "I'm not leaving you. I don't want to." He lifted his head back up and suddenly felt very tired. "Just because Kinomoto is here does not mean…does not mean I'll ever stop…stop caring about you. Clow left me that much freedom, at least." He then scowled a little at Syaoran. "And pretending  _you_ think it's alright doesn't make it so."

" _Un,_ I know.  _Gomen nasai._ " Syaoran looked solemn then. "I just didn't want you to feel like you're abandoning me, make it any harder on you."

"You  _are_ a  _gaki,_  you know that?"

"You've been spending to much time with Kinomoto Touya."

"And you're an idiot."

"You  _definitely_ have been spending too much time with him." Syaoran was grinning.

Yue pulled the child to him in a tight hug. Before Syaoran, he had only been so affectionate with Clow, but it was easy to be close to the boy.

"We'll figure it out. Nothing important has to change. Our family's just gotten bigger. Sakura likes you, her cousin likes you, her brother is willing to put up with you because his sister likes you and I can make Kero be nice to you as long as you're nice to him."

"That's not happening," Syaoran said lightly. "He and I, bad  _fengshui,_  or whatever it is. I refuse to be respectful to an ugly teddy bear with wings and a mutated tail."

"He can bite your head off in one bite in his true form."

"Well I can bite  _his_  head off with one bite in his false form."

Yue found himself laughing, and hugged the child more tightly. "Should I be concerned that you would even  _think_ of that?"

"I'm Chinese. I eat everything. Except people."

"You're incorrigible." Yue pressed a kiss on that precious head. His mirth faded.

"We'll figure something out," He said, "But I love you, and that will never change."

He felt Syaoran's arms circle around his neck.

"I know," The boy said quietly.


	3. Chapter Three

For a while, things settled down.

Summer came, and with it, Syaoran's birthday. The boy had been very depressed during this season their first year together, but had lightened up afterwards, so it was a bit surprising when he became very quiet this year.

When Yue tried to ask him, the boy denied it, which left the guardian feeling unsettled. Over the past five years, they had gotten to the point where Syaoran had never hidden anything from him. Was this a natural stage in his growth, or were they really drifting apart?

Surprisingly, it was Sakura who pointed out the likely cause.

"Maybe he's homesick," She said to Yue, as she looked in the fridge to check the supply and see what she might need to buy for Syaoran's birthday, "He's usually in China for this right? He's been here for a long time. He mentioned that if he had won the judgment, you two would have gone back."

She did not realize what this meant to Yue until after she spoke, and looked up apologetically. "Is everything alright?" She asked. "I know I kind of ruined your plans."

"It's not necessarily a bad thing," Yue replied.

It really wasn't. Before, Syaoran had been content with being close to only Yue. Coming to Tomoeda had done wonders for the boy's social skills, to meet people who had magic that were not after him for his blood, and make friends with those who could share experiences with him. Syaoran was too wise to ask, but Yue knew that the boy loved Tomoeda, and had wanted to stay even if he had won the cards for himself.

But perhaps Syaoran would have been homesick either way.

"Do you want to go home?" Yue asked Syaoran later that day.

"What do you mean?" The boy asked.

"I mean home," Yue gestured at the ceiling, as if China were in the sky.

"Why?" Syaoran asked cautiously, "By myself?"

"No," Yue scowled slightly, "Of course not by yourself. I'm asking you if you want us to go home."

"What, and leave Kinomoto here? You'll blow up if she's in trouble and you're not here."

Yue paused to collect himself. "You're not answering my question."

"I'm fine."

"That wasn't what I asked."

"I don't really care."

Yue rubbed his forehead.

"What's with you?" The boy demanded, as if Yue were the one acting strangely, "I always tell you what I want."

"You always told me what you wanted. I happen to know when you're hiding things from me."

"Well what if I want to go home?" Syaoran became defensive, "It's not like we can go, unless you want to bring Sakura and the entire group over!"

* * *

 "I've always wanted to visit Hong Kong," Sakura declared as the plane took off, "We hear so much about it."

"Ugh," Syaoran was leaning against Yue, "I hate planes." For some reason, Syaoran usually made a point of being grim and sarcastic whenever others were around, though it had lightened up recently. Perhaps it was a remnant of their original meeting, when Syaoran had been scared and impatient. Still, Yue wished the others could see the laughing child he knew for the past five years.

"I thought you liked flying."

"This isn't flying. This is sitting on a thing that flies."

"You can't fly," Yue reminded him.

"I'm going to research how to give myself magic wings like yours," Syaoran announced, "That's what I'm going to do. There's not much else I can do with my magic."

Sakura, who probably had enough cheer for everyone in the group, spoke right over the awkward silence that might have fallen. "That would be so cool! Can you do that?"

"I have  _some_ of Clow's blood in me, even if it's really really little. Clow could create fifty-two cards, I  _should_ be able to cast  _one_ spell permanently."

"How would you do that?" Tomoyo asked, leaning over, "Give yourself wings, I mean? Do sorcerers do that?"

" _Iie_ ," Said Yue. "Only very strong ones can fly, but they usually use faster means to get around."

"Oh, darn it," Syaoran sighed, "There goes my plan."

"What do you mean?" Yue exclaimed, "You're not weak."

"I'm not strong either."

Yue blinked, wondering if this was one manifestation of the deep wounds he could not see. Now was not the time to address that, however.

"I hate my life," Said Touya, "How did you talk me into this again?"

"Oh please," Syaoran drawled, "As if you had anything better to do in Japan."

"As a matter of fact, I do. It's called earning money. Instead, I'm  _spending_ money. See what the problem is?"

"Big deal. Instead of getting drunk every night when you're in college, you can try  _work-study._  Or even working when you're studying, since college students cut class all the time anyway."

"You're not human!" Touya exclaimed. "Yue, what have you done?"

Yue was use to Syaoran's eccentric maturity. It was a side-effect of having to fend for himself for an entire year when he was very young.

" _Oni-chan's_ not going to get  _drunk,_ " Sakura exclaimed, "That's for  _losers._ "

"I feel for you," Syaoran returned dryly.

"You," Touya said to Syaoran with feeling, "Are a son of a—"

Yue elbowed Touya in the solar plexus, hard. That was one line his dear friend was not allowed to cross.

"You too," Syaoran replied, eyes sharp even as his voice was light.

Yue smacked him lightly on the head. "Don't you start," He warned. He was not going to elbow Syaoran the way he elbowed Touya, but he was not going to have the two start fighting across him. "You," He said to Touya, "Should know better."

" _I_ should—?"

Syaoran smirked, which did not help matters. Yue glared at him as Touya looked away with a huff, muttering  _"gaki"_  and curses under his breath. He could not understand why Syaoran took such pleasure in aggravating the teen.

"Do you want some crackers,  _Syaoran-kun?_ " Sakura asked, handing over a small bag. She offered some to Yue, who refused, and did not bother offering her brother.

* * *

 Their home was a little small to fit everyone, but there was adequate room. It was strangely loud and lively; their home was usually so quiet, but it was a rather good change. Syaoran was in good spirits, and between him and Yue they managed to get everyone settled with minimal chaos. They were tired from the journey, and there was no food because no one had been living here for nearly a year, so everyone went out to eat. After coming back, they all agreed that sleep was a priority. Sakura and Tomoyo took Syaoran's room with Kero, with some warnings from Syaoran to Kero, while Touya took the living room. Syaoran joined Yue in his bedroom, and it made his heart feel warm, because it had been a long time since the two of them shared a room.

Syaoran fell asleep instantly, tired from the day's excursions. Yue stayed awake for much longer, contemplating his charge and the new dynamics between all of them. They had gone from just the two of them to having four others. Two of whom cared, at least fundamentally, even if they did not like Syaoran very much on the surface. It was a bit surreal—like having Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun again. He wondered where they were, if they would like Syaoran. Ruby had a very outgoing disposition; she might be overwhelming for Syaoran. Spinel was her direct opposite. The two might get along, but would not be close.

He wondered if Clow ever saw Syaoran, ever saw how he would suffer. Clow came from a different era, death had been an unknown that was inevitable for everyone. He had accepted his own death gracefully, but at the time when he created Yue, immortality must have seemed more of a blessing than a curse it had turned out to be.

Really, what was disheartening was that the master he had looked up to all his life had been among the most foolish of mortals. Clow's designs…as if a mere mortal man could play at God, orchestrating events that would happen thousands of years later without any regard for the circumstances. He watched Syaoran breathe now, listened to the child's soft inhales, and wondered what the Forces had in mind for him to meet this youngster this way.

Perhaps it will be unraveled by his birthday.

* * *

 The first birthday had been bleak.

Syaoran's normally fresh green aura had nearly blackened with grief. It took a lot of coaxing for Yue to finally learn that it had been the boy's birthday at all. The child gazed out the windows forlornly and could not be cheered for anything. He did not eat breakfast or lunch and only took some half-hearted sips of chocolate milk. Too much sorrow for tears.

After a meager dinner, Yue offered to take him out flying, but the boy was too despondent to do that. The guardian was at a loss. He probably chose a poor method of getting Syaoran to cheer up; he asked Syaoran what he use to do on his birthday, and of course, in the past his birthday had been filled with family.

Gifts, he said, lots of them, one from his mom, each of his sisters, though if the gifts were anything like the ones he gave them for their birthday, they were all probably still from his mom. They would go out to the city to visit zoos or aquariums or whatever they could stuff into the day. His relatives would also present gifts, toys and little notebooks and pens which no five-year-old would have appreciated, videotapes of movies, stuffed animals, shoes, shirts, daggers that his mother swiftly pocketed away for when he was old enough to use them without hurting himself.

Yue knew about gifts; he simply never gave any himself, and never thought about giving any to Syaoran.

But the then six-year-old child finally broke down and wished everyone was here, and they didn't have to give him gifts that he wouldn't appreciate anyway, because all the toys in the world couldn't compare to having everyone be there, everyone acknowledge him, sisters tease him and mother ecstatic because this was the day she gave birth to him, this was the day he entered their worlds, and it was worth celebrating.

 _They're all gone now,_ The child sobbed.  _I'm all alone. I'm the only one left._

There was a lot of laughter in their time together, mostly from Syaoran but also from Yue, but in the beginning there had been more tears, especially as time went by and the boy began to ease down from the desperate state of mind he had been in when he was struggling to survive and evade capture. As the need for running died away, the grief he had been unable to acknowledge came gushing forth. Yue could do nothing but hold him tightly, because he could remember when his own world shattered and nothing could have taken away his heartbreak. There was something no adequate reaction to the atrocities the boy had faced.

Syaoran fell asleep against him, breath hitching as he dreamed. He was very tired the next day, emotionally drained. He ate a little breakfast and stared blankly in front of him. When the silence dragged on, Yue tried to break it the best he could.

_I am glad you were born, Syaoran. I had nothing, until I met you. Perhaps your family guided you to me. I can't substitute them, but I will try to…love you, as they did._

_You're not Mama._ Syaoran said despondently.

_No. But I love you. I will do what I can to make you well again._

It was a few days later when Syaoran asked Yue when his own birthday was. Yue had long since forgotten.

 _Maybe you and I can share my birthday,_  said the little rascal,  _We'll celebrate it together._

Since then the birthdays became brighter.

* * *

 "I don't understand how you can stand that kid," Kero muttered, twitching his wings, "Then again, his attitude was all your fault, wasn't it?"

Yue and Kero had shared their childhood, of sorts, together. There were fond memories of sitting by the fireplace as their master read from a tome of stories, sneaking food out from the kitchens, lying in the grass in the gardens as the sun shone mildly overhead. They had fights, quarrels, sibling rivalry and emerged from them without much change in their relationship, as families tend to do, but there was something about being a parent that had Yue feeling very upset at Kero's words. They sounded like attacks, attacks to his little one, and perhaps the thousands of years of loneliness when Kero had been able to remain asleep had cooled his feelings towards his fellow guardian.

"You're supposed to be the mature one," He replied easily. "He's the ten-year-old mortal."

"Just because he's ten years old," Kero snarked obliviously, "Doesn't mean he has to be bratty. Look at our Sakura. She's a sweetheart, and don't tell me it's because she's a girl and he's a boy."

Sakura  _was_ a sweetheart; there was no denying that, and while Yue did not care as much about her as he did for Syaoran—Syaoran was his precious little one and they had gone through too much together for Sakura to have any hope of competing against him—he did like the girl. She did not suffer as much as Syaoran had, and therefore was not as worldly or tough, but she was a bright force, naïve but cheerful, brave in her own right, a gem of her own that still needed polishing but was of good quality at the root.

"He's been hunted by those like you, you know, he's not going to be impressed," Yue settled for answering. He still remembered how nervous Syaoran had been about going to Tomoeda. He was eager to please his guardian, but it had been a long time since he associated with another magical being besides Yue, and even longer since he associated with anyone kind. When he realized the powerful guardian of Clow had a false form the size of a plushie, and that until the cards were captured, Kerberus was stuck in the form, the boy's relief had overwhelmed his normal control over his impulses and had bordered on hysterical.

Of course, Syaoran would be equally hysterical if Yue ever let slip this secret, and honestly, Yue was not entirely happy with Kero for finding someone so easily when he had required centuries. Syaoran's antagonistic attitude toward Kero had been as much for his own amusement as for vindicating Yue, as Kero had never woken when the boy felt Yue needed him. In many ways…part of Yue agreed. He was the youngest of the four guardians, and had looked up to Kero, however much they fought. How dearly he had wanted a brother to guide him through the millennia.

"It's not the matter of being impressed. He's a little  _gaki._  There's no going around that. I have to tell you, I'm so relieved he lost the judgment—I wouldn't want to answer to  _him_  for the rest of his life." Kero shuddered. "Just the thought of it is enough to give me nightmares."

It occurred to Yue then that despite technically being older than him, Kero had the tact of a child, and all the growing Yue had done over the centuries, Kero did not share. He stared at his fellow guardian in amazement at the revelation, as Syaoran and Sakura dusted the place.

"This mold smells awful," Syaoran sneezed loudly, which prompted Yue out of his stupor and into action; he did not want the youngster to breathe in any spores.

"That is  _gross!_ " Sakura was crying and making faces, "Oh I don't want to touch that!"

Syaoran sneezed again as Yue entered the room. He pulled the boy back as Syaoran sneezed again while pointing to the mold growth.

"Hm," Yue observed for a moment, before getting solution to kill the mold. "Go make the tea, Xiaolang. I don't want you to get sick."

They went sightseeing during the day, and Syaoran seemed to be in good spirits. When they came back in the evening, Syaoran and Yue set about cooking while Sakura remarked on the oddity of cooking on one's own birthday, but having everyone cook was too chaotic for Yue to manage. He and Syaoran had a language between them already. There was only the matter of relearning the layout of the kitchen.

The fact that they rarely had guests showed in the lack of serving materials, but luckily when they got groceries, Yue had thought to buy some. There was a lot of chatter in the house, Kero flying back and forth over Syaoran's head, and for once the two were not bickering over something stupid.

"So who was the one who taught how to cook?"

"Yue."

"Really? I remember when Clow wouldn't even let him near the fire."

"He's had several thousand years to learn, you know."

" _Hai,_  but it's not like he needed to. He doesn't need to eat!"

Yue found himself scowling a little, though he was not sure why. Syaoran waved at him to turn on the vents.

"I learned with Syaoran," He said to his fellow guardian. It was true enough. The young boy had been very sick, and Yue's initial attempts were pathetic at best, but serviceable. Later on, he had gotten better, because Syaoran was certainly not going to take over culinary duties, small as he was.

"What's the kid like back then? As much of a  _gaki_  as he is now?" Kero asked carelessly.

Syaoran ducked behind Yue. "I'm going to check on the girls."

"Alright," Yue nodded at him.

* * *

 Yue did not know how to light a fire.

 _I'll be right here,_  He said to the boy in his arms,  _But I need you to light the logs. That is all. If something goes wrong, I will put it out._

_I can't do magic._

_Yes you can._

Syaoran shook his head emphatically.

Yue sighed. He had to find some way to cook, but he always had a difficult time lighting a fire the traditional way, and he had no magic to spark fires—that was always Kerberus's strong point.

_We need to eat._

Syaoran shook his head again.  _I'm alright. I'm not hungry._

_Xiaolang…_

He needed to get the child over this fear of magic. It was not healthy for the little sorcerer.

_What do you have against magic, hm?_

_It sucks._

_Do you think I suck too?_

_…No._

_I am magic too, you know._

Syaoran wriggled a bit, unable to argue with that logic.  _I don't know if I can do it._

 _Just focus,_ Yue knew he had won then,  _I am not sure how to do this either, but we will figure it out, alright? After this, we can go flying._

* * *

 There was an odd twist in Yue's head. Before he could wonder what that was from, Syaoran poked his head in the kitchen.

"Feel that?" He asked the two guardians.

" _Ano…un._  What was that?" Kero asked.

Syaoran looked grave, but did not answer. Sakura came up from behind him.

"I think I sensed magic," She said, " _Syaoran-kun_  said that it wasn't from here."

"It was not." Yue looked at Syaoran. "What do you want to do?"

They made a point of living in a non-magical area of Hong Kong, due to Syaoran's initial fear of magic and the people who were hunting after him.

Syaoran's eyes were hard. "Do you think they are the same people?"

Yue paused. "I do not know."

" _Nani?_ " Sakura stared at Syaoran, a bit horrified. "What same people?"

"We haven't been here for a while," Syaoran pointed out, "Maybe someone moved here." Touya moved up behind his sister, followed by Tomoyo. "If it's something important, wouldn't we have sensed something going on before this?"

"Hard to say," Yue said solemnly, holding his hand out to the boy. Syaoran approached, but did not allow Yue to pull him closer.

"We should investigate," The boy's face was stony—always a sign that he was terrified, "We have two people they might be after, and we're all in one place. It wouldn't do to be sitting ducks."

"Alright," Sakura agreed easily. She probably did not understand that Syaoran's life might be at stake.

Yue turned to Kero. "I would recommend we use a subtle means of investigation."

Kero blinked, completely ignorant of what he was thinking. "Ah? How?"

Yue looked meaningfully at Syaoran, but the child was too distracted with calming himself down to notice the message conveyed through that glance.

 _I won't forsake you,_  Yue promised, before telling Kero of his own idea.

Kero was not going to like this.


	4. Chapter Four

"Is he back yet?"

It had been hours since Kero left, grumbling grumpily about the indignities he suffered for the sake of everyone else. So far there was yet to be any word from him, despite Sakura giving him a cell phone, shrinking it with her card so that the guardian could carry it around in his false form.

"Do you think he's alright?" Sakura asked, concerned.

"He's not likely to be discovered in his false form," Syaoran remarked, "Though knowing him, he's probably distracted by some bakery."

"Kero-chan is not like that! Besides, he doesn't have any money!"

Syaoran exchanged a look with Yue.

It was about ten minutes later when Kero returned.

"There's definitely something going on," He reported, "I sensed magic around these two birds that fluttered to a well. Whatever it is, is  _in_ the well, or at least connected to the well, if there are underground passages. I tried to trace it, but it led me to a bizarre area—some kind of magic was covering the place, an illusion spell, I think, meant to make it look like a barren wasteland to any passersby, but clearly there was something else occupying that territory. I can't break through though."

"Where is this area?" Yue asked, while Syaoran remained silent. He suspected that the boy surmised where it was, because when Kero outlined the neighborhood, Yue recognized the place.

"Where is it?" Sakura asked, when silence fell.

Yue glanced at Syaoran. Someone had to answer. "It was the old Li territory," He told everyone quietly.

"Interesting," Syaoran spoke up, his face expressionless, "I didn't know they used magic to seal the place. I assumed the area would have been purged, and new buildings built."

"You know the Chinese and their superstitions," Said Yue, "A calamity like that would make the real estate a nightmare for anyone to go to. Bad _fengshui_ , as it were, to occupy a place where morbid death had taken place."

"It's still a lot of land. Someone took the trouble to hide it. I wonder why—what could preserving the place possibly accomplish?"

In front of other people, Yue was hesitant to pull the boy close, though it was all he wanted to do at the moment. Syaoran's face was a blank mask, cold and hard like porcelain, which meant that on the inside he was bleeding. How could he not?

"What exactly happened?" Touya asked, voice soft and wary.

Syaoran turned away, showing his disinterest at the situation and handing the reins over to Yue. After a moment, Yue hesitantly explained.

"The Li clan…" He paused, "Was a powerful family, in terms of magic. They aren't descended from Clow, though—Syaoran is from his mother's side, who also happens to be a Li, but she's from a different family. His father's family had their own prestige. They made enemies over the years, and if there is anything dangerous about the Chinese, it is how they are capable of waiting and holding on to grudges while doing so." He paused again, though he had already said enough that holding back would be pointless. "About five to six years ago, the clan was attacked by multiple factions at once. Syaoran was the only survivor. He was five years old."

Silence followed this. No one from Tomoeda knew the whole story. Touya knew that a traumatic occurred, and that people were after him, but even he did not know the exact tale. Syaoran stared hard into space, his eyes very dry and his aura very stale.

" _Syaoran-kun..._ " Sakura whispered.

"Will they come back for him?" Touya asked softly.

"They know he is alive."

"They haven't for a while," Syaoran sighed.

"Why did they kill everyone? Was that truly necessary?"

"Grudges," Yue replied, "They intended to wipe out the entire line."

"They know there's still a survivor?"

" _Hai._ "

Syaoran ignored her, looking up at Yue. "I'll have to go back, won't I?"

"You don't have to," Yue squeezed his shoulder.

"But I should." Syaoran looked away.

* * *

 

"Why would they just...hide the place?"

Syaoran could not sleep, so neither could Yue, and they lay together in the darkness, the child's head nestled against Yue's shoulder. Soon the boy will be too old for this sort of thing; in fact, one could argue that he already is, but he was still child enough that Yue could drag this on a little longer. He remembered in the past when he use to curl up near his Master long after he passed the age of mortal adulthood. In some ways, people in ancient times formed closer bonds, were more affectionate with each other, than people in modern times. Nowadays, everyone automatically assumes the most perverted scenario, and even gestures of simple affection seem tainted.

Still, the two of them knew. Yue pressed his cheek against the child's head, feeling inexplicably like he was hiding instead of sheltering the boy.

"Were they keeping something out? Or keeping something in?"

"I don't know, Xiaolang."

"It's a trap," The boy sighed, stressed, "It's got to be."

Yue turned to hug the boy to him. By the Forces, the boy was still so small. He was much bigger than when he was a five-year-old, but still, he was so small.

This was not proving to be one of the better birthdays.

"There's no hurry," He pointed out softly, "No hurry to investigate, really. No real need, even. We can spend some time here, celebrate your birthday, and then fly back to Tomoeda. There's no telling if this presence would even bother following us, and if it does, we consider what to do then. There's no reason to go look ourselves. We're here to relax...rest...you've had a long year."

The child wrapped his arms tightly around Yue. It was surprisingly chilly for a summer night, and the warmth from their bodies was penetrative and comforting.

"I can't keep running away," Syaoran said quietly, his voice tearful even though his eyes were dry, "I can't keep running away. I'm growing up, and sooner or later I'll have to face it."

"Don't think about that. You're still young. It's much too early for you to think about it."

Syaoran pulled from his arms, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair in distress. Yue sat up as well and wished numbly that the others could see this child of his child, the side that was scared and vulnerable and uncertain, because then they would see that Syaoran really needed a lot of care and love and might be more willing to offer it to him.

Syaoran was too use to depending on himself, or only on Yue, though.

"I can't stop," The boy whispered.

Yue gently wrapped an arm around his shoulder to pull him back. Syaoran folded to him willingly, but his eyes remained wide open and in his mouth was a grinding noise as he clenched his jaws.

"You're strong, Xiaolang," The guardian murmured softly, "You always were. You can trust in that."

Syaoran shook his head, clutching his face. "I don't want to go back." Tears finally escaped, and once they did they were fast and flowing. "I don't want to ever go back. I never want to see that place again. I wish I could forget everything that happened..."A sob, harsh and sharp in the silence of the night, choked out of him. "I wish I couldn't remember. I don't want to go back. I don't want to have to go back."

Yue gathered the boy to him as Syaoran began sobbing in earnest, the pain too raw, even after all these years, so that despite the guests in their home, the child could not contain himself.

Even after so many years, there remained so many tears.

* * *

 

 _It's beautiful here,_  The child said, watching the ferries drift across the harbor. Yue had an arm wrapped around the boy's waist as he watched the clouds in the distance.  _It's nice that there aren't that many people._

 _In Rome, we use to look over the Mediterranean,_  Yue told him,  _And watch the sun set. Egypt was on the other side, as well as the northern coasts of the African continent. From the south there would be ships carrying Egyptian goods. They were good artists, those Egyptians, and had a lot of crafts to sell._

 _You must miss it,_ The boy replied.  _Why'd you come here, to the eastern region of Asia?_

 _I don't know,_ Yue replied,  _I was wandering. I picked a direction and went._

Syaoran looked at him with his intense eyes.  _You never found anyone else before me?_  He asked.

_No. No one until you._

_What's so special about me?_

Yue smoothed his hair.  _You're special,_  He said quietly,  _I can launch into a whole list, if you want, but you'd probably be bored, or deny it all._

_I just find it strange that you didn't find anyone else who was also special over the last few thousand years. That's a long time._

_It is._

_You must have been lonely._

Yue pressed his cheek against the boy's head. Children tended to have big heads, he mused, though Syaoran's was nowhere near its full size.  _I was lonely._

_I'm sorry._

_What for?_

Syaoran did not answer, instead taking one of Yue's hands to examine it. The guardian allowed him, feeling that kind of complacency that came with profound peace and serenity.

_They'll always hunt me. As long as I'm alive._

_You will learn to protect yourself, and I will always be your ally._

_I'm sorry._

_Why?_

_There are probably easier kids to take care of then me._

_You're not a burden, Xiaolang._

Syaoran pressed his hand against the guardian's. His hand was very small compared to Yue's, the skin more tanned, yet at the same time finer. This was a child's hand, compared to Yue's worn, not-quite-human one.

 _I don't even want to fight them,_  The boy whispered,  _I just want them to leave me alone. I don't even want vengeance, or anything like that. I probably should though. They slaughtered my family. They murdered my mother and sisters._  A tear trickled down the child's cheek.  _But all I want is for this whole thing to be over. They're gone. Vengeance won't bring them back._

If Syaoran had truly wanted a list, this was one of the things Yue would mention. So young, only seven years old, and yet already wiser than some ten times his age. He would have made Clow Reed proud.

_I still see them sometimes. Sometimes I have nightmares, where it's like meeting you had been a dream but I'm still all alone._

Yue closed his hand around the boy's.  _I'm real, Xiaolang._

_I know. I'm still scared._

Yue leaned forward to press his cheek against the boy's _,_ thinking about all the times he had dreamt, had feared that meeting the boy had been just a subject of his imagination; really, what were the odds that thousands of years later, the boy who won his heart should be the descendant of Clow? There were no coincidences, but it was so feasible, that his own loneliness conjured up this beautiful child and this present happiness was all a cruel delusion.

_I know, Xiaolang. I am too._

* * *

 

"I guess after something like that, anyone would turn into a  _gaki._ "

Yue opened the cupboard. "I wish you would stop calling him that," He said flatly, "It took a long time for him to get use to being with other people at all, let alone this hostile tall teenage boy whose name meant 'peach flower'."

"Oi," Touya exclaimed, "At least it's not as bad as some other names I've come across. Like 'snow bunny'."

There was a long pause where the two actually froze at this.

"Actually 'snow bunny' is probably less gay than 'peach flower'." Touya conceded. "Problem is, I can't change my name without hurting  _Otou-san's_  feelings because  _Oka-san_ isn't really here to tell him that she didn't mind."

"She's the one that named you?" Yue asked, retrieving the bowls for porridge.

"She named both me and Sakura," The youth replied. "I don't think she really understood how much bullying I was in danger of."

"You seemed to have held your own," Yue shut the cupboard.

"I was always tall for my age. Made schoolyard fights a walk in the park."

Yue stirred the porridge in the pot. Syaoran was still sleeping when he woke, and as far as he could hear, everyone else besides Touya was also still sleeping. It was actually unusual, given that while Touya did better during mornings than Yue, it was still six-thirty and the teenager was hardly in love with early hours.

"Japan has a bad reputation for bullying," The guardian finally stated, "It was one of the things that worried Syaoran a lot."

"It makes sense," Said Touya, "But doesn't explain why he was manhandling my sister on the first day of class."

"I can't claim that he performed well that day."

Silence fell for a while, as the two waited for the porridge to simmer.

"I guess when people slaughter your entire family and hunt you for a year, you tend to overreact to things, or react poorly," Touya relented. "Come to think of it, I'm surprised he functions as well as he does. Not exactly Mr. Sunshine, but he doesn't look very post-traumatic-stress-disorder to me."

"It took some time," Yue murmured, thinking about all the tears and weeping, the need for reassurances. "Actually, when he's at ease with everything, he's even more chipper than Sakura."

"Is he?" Touya stared flatly. "I find that hard to believe. The  _kaijuu_  acts like she's on crack."

The porridge was simmering, so Yue turned the flame off on the stove. "You haven't seen a kid on drugs until you've seen Syaoran decorating this place for Chinese New Year." Syaoran was going to kill him for what he was about to do next. "Look, I have some pictures, actually."

"Oh snap," Touya set his mug of tea down, "Alright, we're totally doing this. Where are they? Do it. Leave the porridge you lunatic! I don't care about breakfast, I want to see the brat's pictures."

"For the record," Yue warned him, "I didn't show you these; you found them because you're a jerk."

"I don't care, I want to see them."

* * *

 

"Right," Syaoran glared at him with the cutest scowl Yue had ever seen this year, which was saying something because Syaoran had sported quite a few cute scowls in Tomoeda, "I believe you.  _Kinomoto_  just magically knew where to look. I suppose the ghost of his mother directed him to the cabinet of  _all the other stuff_ and pointed out the photo album at  _six in the morning._ "

"Six-thirty," Touya corrected while showing one photo of Syaoran when he was seven years old drinking a mug of flu medicine to a delighted Sakura and Tomoyo, "Look at that! That's the exact same scowl, face for face! I didn't think you were a photo-type of person,  _Yue-san,_ but this is just  _awesome_."

Syaoran looked so betrayed that Yue  _almost_ felt sorry, but he could not quite bring himself to feel real remorse because the photos Syaoran was so embarrassed by happened to capture the very moments Yue cherished.

"I can't believe you took that photo," The boy grouched, "How did you manage to take it? I didn't remember seeing you with a camera."

"That's what a fever does to you," The guardian replied unapologetically. "You were pretty preoccupied with the medicine, anyway."

"And look at that! Which birthday was that?" Touya was still laughing uproariously.

"Can we stop?" Syaoran pleaded.

"That was his eighth birthday," Said Yue, hiding a smirk at the photo of little Syaoran blowing out candles.

"He looks constipated!  _Hahaha!_ " Kero rolled over in laughter.

"You smile a lot more in these pictures,  _Li-kun,_ " Tomoyo noted as the elder Kinomoto flipped through more pages of the album, "It seems like you were really happy with Yue."

"I don't know why," Syaoran wrinkled his nose as he demonstrated a level of lighthearted wit rarely used with their Japanese friends, "As he seeks to embarrass me at every turn."

Tomoyo, who had always been very perceptive, appeared to make a mental note of this joke. Yue laid a hand against the boy's back, but Syaoran was not feeling too favorable towards him and moved away with another cute scowl.

"Oh  _Kami-sama_ —you're like a  _mother_ ,  _Yue-san_ , did you force the kid to dress up in these in order to take a picture?"

" _Hai,_ " Syaoran remarked loudly, eager to express his indignation, "There was one time when he bought this new outfit for me and then took me out to the park where the flowers were blooming and he  _wouldn't stop taking photos_ , seriously, we were there for a whole hour! And then he made me come home and change into another outfit so that we could take those photos all over again!" Sure enough, as Touya flipped there were the pictures Syaoran had complained about.

"You were allowed four big slices of chocolate cake afterwards," Yue mused.

"Right, and gave myself a hernia," Syaoran grumbled.

"What's a hernia?" Sakura asked.

"He didn't actually  _have_ a hernia," Yue folded his arms, "He just overate. It's not my fault you had no self control when it comes to anything related to chocolate."

"Self control?" Syaoran looked up and seemed to suddenly forget that they had an audience, because he then grinned a Cheshire grin and his eyes sparkled brightly with inner laughter, "What's self control? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"It's like how dogs will constantly eat chocolate even though it poisons them," Yue shook his head as he tried to drag this out for as long as possible, since there was no telling when Syaoran would drop his mask in front of others like this again, "You're about as brainless as one. It's worse than having a pet, because at least pets don't talk back."

"I'm not a dog, I'm a wolf. I'm way smarter," Syaoran grinned goofily as he poked Yue on the side, causing the guardian to twist his waist away. At this point, even Sakura, who was normally quite dense about these sort of dynamics, seemed utterly astonished at the discourse and stared in bewilderment. "And chocolate is worth getting poisoned, because it's  _just that good._ "

Unfortunately, Syaoran then seemed to remember they had company, and the boy instantly targeted the photos.

"Give me that!" He snatched the album from Touya's hands. Touya was so stunned he did not even have the wits to react, even as Syaoran scampered away with it to Yue's room.

After a moment of hesitation, Sakura and Tomoyo suddenly decided they were not done with all the photos and wanted to finish, so they ran after Syaoran, calling to him. Touya leaned over to Yue.

"So how do you get  _that_ kid to come back again?" He asked.

Yue smiled a little at him. "It's not that hard, actually," He said.


	5. Chapter Five

"It is because Yue is not actually male, so he has no sense of male dignity," Syaoran was still grumpy over the photo incident, especially since the girls kept reminding themselves and pestering Yue for more. Tomoyo had already vowed to design costumes to dress Syaoran in, 'One to match every one of Sakura-chan's!' which made Syaoran strongly consider canceling his return flight to Tomoeda. As a condolence of sorts, Yue also showed pictures of himself, of which there were fewer because he initially found it difficult to recruit a third party to take the picture for him and Syaoran. The boy had a bright sense of humor, in that he made Yue wear all sorts of atrocious hats and headgear. Kero and Sakura found this more interesting than the others, and Syaoran was not satisfied because Yue was nowhere as scandalized by the photos as Syaoran had been by his.

It had started raining outside, and the group huddled in the sitting room drinking sweet tea and eating nuts. Touya had his head on Yue's lap; Syaoran was certainly not going to indulge in _that_ while the others were here, and the teenager was trying to provoke him. Yue was curious if Syaoran was at all bothered. The boy did not seem to be; he and Sakura were sitting on opposite ends of the coffee table, while Tomoyo continued to browse photos.

"How did you explain this one to the Kodak store?" She held up a picture. It was actually Yue's favorite: young Syaoran, probably about seven years old, casting an ice spell that formed crystals all around him. The child was arched in a particularly elegant form, and his body had glowed slightly with an aura of white and green.

"You took a picture of that?" Syaoran exclaimed, sounding more baffled than miffed. "How did you snap a photo of _that_? You did not have a camera!"

"I always have one," Yue said easily, "I am just glad that it came out as nicely as it did."

"I doubt Kodak employees bother to look at the photos they process," Touya muttered from Yue's lap, though he craned his neck to take a better look. "What spell is that?"

"I was trying to imitate Yue's crystals," Syaoran grumbled.

"We had to get out of the park _really fast_ when he was done."

"That photo could have been incriminating, you know. They were wondering what cut up everything in that park."

"You cannot even tell the background," Said Yue, "And besides, the picture defies credulity. 'Vandalism by magic' is not something that would pass in court, not even a Chinese one."

"I did not know you knew how to do that," Sakura blinked. "Can you teach me?"

"You have the Clow Cards," Syaoran reminded her, "You do not need to learn my cheats."

Yue agreed, but he did not like the phrasing Syaoran used. "It was not a cheat. I would actually call the Clow Cards 'cheats'. Your way was the honest way, and certainly not an easy one."

Syaoran simply shrugged.

"You ever use spells for every day things?" Touya asked, out of genuine curiosity.

Yue was reminded of the first time he asked Syaoran to light a fire, but the boy was thinking of other things.

"Of course. I practice a lot of elemental spells but the spell I use most is probably the move spell."

"Move?"

" _Un._ Especially when I was little, there were a lot of things that were too heavy for me, and it was too much work to call Yue so I lifted them myself. Like so," And he _moved_ the photo album away from Tomoyo, much to her disappointment. Yue, correspondingly, _moved_ the album from Syaoran and handed it back to Tomoyo.

"It actually took a while to get him to use spells. I use to encourage him to use it for as much as he could think of."

"Why?" Sakura asked, "I think magic is wonderful. If I know how to cast more spells, I'd use it for everything."

Yue did not realize how awkward this could be until she pointed that out, and looked at Syaoran, who simply shrugged again. He had no interest in going into detail.

"Magic draws attention," Yue finally said, and that much was true, at least.

There was a sudden flash of lightning from outside. Yue sensed rather than saw Syaoran tense. Thunder rumbled seconds after.

" _Hoe!_ " Sakura exclaimed, "I didn't realize it was raining that hard!"

Syaoran's brow furrowed as the girl rose to head to the window. Rain drummed against the glass as she lifted the blinds.

" _Hoeeee!_ Look at that, _Tomoyo-chan!_ It is really pouring!" Wind sprayed more rain against the window, and Sakura ducked to look outside through her reflection.

"You alright?" Touya whispered, reaching out a hand to pat the boy's knee. Yue was a little surprised by his perception. Syaoran seemed equally so.

"It's probably nothing," He said, equally softly.

"What is it?" Yue asked.

Syaoran fidgeted a little where he sat. "Just thought I sensed something, that's all. When the lightning struck. I don't know. Could be nothing."

"I did not sense anything," Yue looked at Kero, who shook his head.

"It's probably just paranoia," Syaoran said uneasily.

Yue shoved Touya off. "Better safe than sorry," He said, standing up. "I will check the wards."

Lightning struck again, and Tomoyo shrieked. " _Kami-sama!_ That was _close!_ " Thunder rocked and the girls giggled in delight.

"You need any help?" Kero asked.

" _Iie,_ I'm fine," Yue insisted. Besides, if Kero were to participate as well, that would worry Sakura, and he did not want to make a big deal out of something that might actually just be Syaoran's nerves.

* * *

It was still drizzling in the morning. Syaoran had slept poorly that night, despite Yue's best attempts, and the boy was a bit out of it when everyone else got up.

"I had a curious dream about water," Sakura told everyone, "I was just surrounded by water. I thought I was going to drown, but I could breathe in it."

"Do you think that's a premonition?" Tomoyo asked.

"I don't know."

Syaoran sat, hunched over, eyes barely open. Yue slid a bowl of porridge under his nose and rubbed the back of his head.

"Eat up," He ordered his young charge, "You'll wake up."

" _Ungh._ "

"I'll eat it if he doesn't," Kero offered.

" _Awwww,_ " Tomoyo grinned, " _Yue-san_ , do you have your camera?"

"You do that," Syaoran raised a finger, "And I will kill you, Yue." _  
_

Yue was not too eager to take advantage of Syaoran's distress from last night, even if this visage was a Kodak moment. It was nice that Syaoran was letting him be affectionate in front of the others, though. Usually Syaoran took care to assert his independence when others were in company. He rubbed the boy's head again with his fingers. "Do you want to go back to bed?"

"I'm awake." The boy rubbed his eyes groggily, groaning, but did seem more alert for it.

Touya was looking out the window. "Are we going to be able to head out in this weather?"

"Forecast says that it should stop in an hour."

"Streets are going to be _flooded_."

"Air would be the freshest it ever has been though," Said Syaoran, finally setting to work on his porridge.

They had a slow breakfast for all that, and after it ended the day had cleared and the sun was shining. Syaoran was fully awake, but stressed, as he attempted to stuff as much activity as possible into the day. Now that he was the host in his own country, his mannerisms had steadily reverted back to his natural personality, though he was still more uptight than Yue was use to. Touya kept giving Yue looks, as if trying to silently ask him what entity had possessed the boy and what had been done with him. Yue was just happy that Syaoran was finally displaying the traits that wrapped the guardian around his finger in the first place.

_That's my Syaoran. This is the real him._

They went to a dim sum restaurant for lunch, where Yue ordered a large order for the benefit of Kero. Syaoran, to his annoyance, was still obsessed over the maps and trying to figure out how to most efficiently pack things together while making it in time for all the open hours. Yue had a feeling it was because Syaoran had not slept well and was having trouble remembering things. At least he was being unobtrusive about this, and Sakura and Tomoyo were having a grand time.

"The food here is _awesome!_ And there is so _much_ of it!" Sakura exclaimed happily, "I mean, it is so cheap it's almost ridiculous! I know I keep saying this," She munched with glee.

Syaoran eyed Yue with a hint of a smirk. One of his first complaints when they first arrived in Japan was how inflated all the prices were.

"It's because we don't bother packaging everything with little bows and glitter."

"When it comes to food, why should you?" Sakura snatched a dumpling. "None of the decorations matter once you eat it."

"There's my _kaijuu_. Once she plows through, none of the decorations matter." This earned Touya a kick under the table.

Syaoran was sleepy enough to forget that he was not supposed to find anything funny, and chuckled when everyone else did. Yue could swear Kero nearly had a heart attack, but thankfully no one else noticed.

After lunch, they went out on what was called 'Bird Street'.

"Called as such because of the millions of birds that poop in the area," Syaoran wrinkled his nose, "If you want fresh poultry, here you are, though they also sell pets."

A wave suddenly wafted across Yue. He froze. Syaoran was rubbing his eyes and did not seem to notice.

" _Hoe..."_ Sakura blinked. " _Kero-chan_ , did you...?"

" _Hai_ ," Kero nodded grimly from her shoulder.

"What is it?" The girl asked.

"Whatever it was, it was _evil._ "

Yue moved closer to Syaoran, a little worried that the boy did not sense it. " _Xiaolang,"_ He said in Chinese, "You are tired. Maybe we should go home. Kero can take you home and I can stay with the others."

"I'm fine. I kind of want to take a look around at this part of town myself. Haven't been here for a year."

"Everything alright?" Touya asked.

Sakura suddenly slipped away. Yue glanced at her in alarm. _What is going on?_

He sensed a Clow Card activating, and then Sakura was suddenly jumping into the air.

Touya swore, looking around to see if there were any witnesses. There were not, fortunately, but that was still careless of her. " _Kaijuu_! _Imotou!_ _Kami-sama..."_

There were two white birds, odd in appearance, brimming faintly with magic. Yue tucked Syaoran close, but the boy had other ideas.

"Sakura!" He yelled, and rushed off after her. He disappeared behind the buildings as Sakura continued to use the Jump Card.

Yue swore in Chinese. Kero was already going after Sakura. He turned to Touya and Tomoyo.

"You two stay here," He ordered, and took off after his charges.

* * *

They found Sakura and Syaoran walking together. Sakura was drenched.

"I think we can establish two things," Syaoran said to Yue, "Well, three. There is something in town, it is not after me, and Sakura cannot breathe underwater."

"You happen to know what this 'something' is?" Kero demanded.

"Something to do with water," Sakura was twisting her shirt, making a face. "Beyond that..."

"We better get you changed," Touya stated.

They went home, where Sakura switched into dry clothes. Syaoran had inadvertently fallen asleep on the couch. Since the threat was after Sakura, he had finally allowed his exhaustion to take him. Yue lifted the boy and carried him to his room, much to the combined amusement of Tomoyo and Touya.

"So what should we do?" Kero asked. "There is something to do with water and birds, is after Sakura. Shall we take a look around?"

"I can take a look around tonight," Yue offered. "It is easier for me to maneuver at night."

"Alright then," Kero agreed, "So for now we will stay put. Especially since our tour guide is apparently knocked out."

" _Aw,_ " Tomoyo giggled, " _Li-kun_ is so _kawaii._ I never thought I would describe him like that, but he really is."

"Don't let him know," Yue remarked dryly, though he was inwardly pleased. "He'll try to prove you wrong, and that won't be fun for anyone."

* * *

Flying without Syaoran had gotten strange. It felt wrong not to have a warm weight in his arms or on his back. Liberating, in that he felt lighter and less concerned, but also wrong. He kept wishing Syaoran were here to share the experience with him, be with him at the top of the world, looking down at its people, the glittering expanse of Hong Kong with its moving cars and flashing traffic lights. Flying rarely failed to lift the child's spirits.

He landed on top of a tower and looked over the city, with the port bustling with moving ships and markets still crowded with people. The air was still damp and carried the taste of rain. He searched for a while, for that elusive magical presence, but whatever it was that lured Sakura with birds had withdrawn for the night.

Syaoran was up and waiting for him when he returned.

"I told you not to wait," Yue reprimanded. "It is way past your bedtime."

"I slept _so long_ earlier," Syaoran pouted. "Did you find anything?"

"No. I doubt searching would unveil anything tonight. The others are asleep?"

"As far as I know."

Despite claiming his nap was sufficient, Syaoran fell asleep as soon as the two retired for the night. The next morning, he was still a little out of it.

"I dreamed about a woman this time," Sakura said, concerned, "She was in that water place, and was calling out for me."

"What did she look like?" Kero asked.

When Sakura described the woman, Yue felt a tingle of memory. He looked at his fellow guardian, and saw the same look reflected back.

"Why do I sense that we have encountered this woman before?" Kero asked.

"Lady of the Lake?"

"No. She's fake."

"Who now?" Touya asked.

"Some European legend. Has no business being in Hong Kong, anyway."

"Would be nice," Syaoran said suddenly, "I can use a new sword."

Yue ruffled the top of the boy's head. "Slow down, tiger. Your current sword is enough to handle."

" _Hai,_ but _Excalibur_ , and a scabbard that makes you invincible! What can beat that?"

"It doesn't make you invincible, it just prevents hemorrhagic shock. You'd still get cut up or burned, as it were. Perfectly overrated weapon."

" _I_ think it is great, anyway."

"Sure, Syaoran. Sure."

* * *

"I had a dream last night too."

Yue looked away from the cupboard. Premonitions, as far as he knew, were more Sakura's strength than Syaoran's. The boy had far too many nightmares in the past to be receptive to visions in dreams. Over the years, the nightmares had ceased, but he suspected the boy actively repressed dreams. He always declared a night of dreamless sleep to be a victory, and never showed any perchance for telling the future.

"Nightmare?" He asked, mentally checking over last night. He had slept himself, but he was sure if Syaoran had been disturbed, he would have roused. He did not remember sensing anything...part of him chilled as he considered that perhaps his affinity for Sakura was dampening the bond between him and Syaoran.

But Syaoran shook his head. "Not really. Not happy but...not a nightmare. It was weird." He folded his arms, keeping his voice low so the others would not hear. "I dreamed about _Mama,_ " He said in Chinese.

Yue shut the cupboard door. "What happened?"

"It did not make a lot of sense for the most part. Random, like most of my dreams. She was in our kitchen making tea, telling me to be obedient to you, to listen to you, because everything you tell me to do is for my own good. She then made a joke about Meiling, I...don't know who she is, nor do I remember the joke, but I remember knowing that it was supposed to be funny, or something. Then she said something really odd. She said 'I feel strong powers. You must have some Clow Cards. Strong powers can cause disorder, especially in Hong Kong.' Then she asked me to invite Sakura over to stay for a night. She said that she had a gift for her, that could help with our current problem."

Yue knelt in front of Syaoran, taking the boy's hand in his. "This sounds like a message," He said reluctantly. "Do you think she meant for the two of you to visit the clan territories?"

"I think so."

The boy looked very blank. Yue cupped Syaoran's face between his hands. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"It's been six years. It's time I go back to my roots. I haven't...I just left them there. No one to take care of them. I haven't been a good offspring."

Yue wished he could take that deeply-buried pain away from his charge. He gathered Syaoran tightly, ignoring the boy's brief protests. "You have been nothing but good, _Xiaolang._ I was the one that kept you away. They are dead and gone. They would not care whether you visit their graves or not, so long as you keep them in your heart."

Syaoran was quiet for a moment, but stated, "I should go though. We should go. Just to see if there really is an answer there. You went last night to look, but maybe the reason you didn't find anything was because you weren't looking there."

That was true. Yue did not tend to pay much attention to the Li territories. It was a dead place, abandoned and forgotten. Certainly, evil could rest there; it had been the site of great evil, after all, but it would be pointless to search there, unless he wished to confront the past, and Syaoran was not ready for that.

But maybe they really should heed the message.

"You don't tend to have premonitions," Yue murmured.

"I had one of you."

The guardian froze. "Wh-what?"

"When I first met you." Syaoran pulled away. "Before, anyway. I had forgotten it. The only reason I remember now is because I dreamed about _Mama_ , which was also what happened last time. She was scolding me for being naughty, and then she said she was worried that 'the bird-man' would turn me into a girl." The boy blushed. "I think she was referring to how you took pictures of me with flowers."

'Bird man', in Chinese, was an insult, and a five-year-old Syaoran would certainly not understand why any such being would turn him into a girl. It was no wonder the child forgot. Yue was astounded.

"She didn't have any complaints this time," Syaoran said hurriedly, mistaking his silence for hurt. "And I think last time it was just a joke. It's kind of fuzzy. And I think you did a good job. Of not making me a girl."

 _Brat._ "I was raised by a man, and you want a sword," He tapped the boy on the nose, inspiring a brief giggle. "I didn't know you had that dream, _Xiaolang_."

"Sorry. I would have told you if I remembered, but I never dreamed about her again and it was...I never thought of you as a 'bird-man'. You were always an angel to me. Which I guess...I mean, I just never drew the connection."

"It's alright." Ultimately, it did not matter anyway. They had found each other, and had spent the last five years together. "This just means we really should probably go visit the clan territories."

The boy nodded, despondent again.

Yue pressed his forehead to the child's. "Don't worry. We'll all be here. I'll be here. It will be hard, but it will be bearable, I promise. You will not be alone. You were probably never alone. And it might bring some closure."

"I'm just scared," The child's voice broke a little, "I don't know what I'll find there."

"We'll take a look, and if there's anything wrong we'll whisk you out of there. Whoever or whatever this new threat is, it's after Sakura, not you."

The boy wiped his eyes and sighed. "She's my friend though, and she's _your_ charge. I'm not going to let a bunch of ghosts scare me away from my own home."

He had never referred to the Li territories as his 'home'. Yue smiled, pride swelling at his ward's defiance.

"So we'll go today or tomorrow?"

"Today. Might as well get it over with." Syaoran stepped back. "I'll tell the others."


	6. Chapter Six

The territories were overgrown, but there was no question that it had once been a grand place. Ceramic tiles were chipped on the roofs, but many retained their gleam, and nothing could mask the vastness of the place, the large buildings made of polished wood and stone walkways paved with marble.

No laughter from the group this time. This was not a tour. The Li clan lived in a village of sorts, and now it was populated by ghosts and old anguish. Faint discolorations on statues from dried blood, old corpses resting in the grass, bones shifted from their original arrangements. Magic hovered in the air, stale with death.

Syaoran left Yue's side to regard the home he had been violently torn from. His aura was calm, but he kept a firm hold on Yue's hand, neglecting appearances. The others did not matter now. He needed something to ground him, a steady support. The guardian followed his charge loyally, and the others trailed behind. This place, with its untidy, unkempt appearance, must be such a contrast to the clean, neat state of Tomoeda.

The grounds were divided into portions for residence and portions for community gatherings. Each individual family was given its own residence building, that was linked by walkways to the rest of the extended relatives. Some of the paths were considerable, so that it was possible to go for weeks or months at a time without seeing certain relations.

"I use to visit this place all the time," Syaoran said, looking at one house with a lopsided sign that said "Willful Building". "I don't remember who lived here though. I think they had a daughter around my age."

The building was charred in places. There had been a fire that smoked through the windows and crumpled the roof. Even from the outside, Yue could tell that there was nothing in there to find, but Syaoran went to look through one of the windows and gaze upon the old tables and chairs, shattered porcelain vases and scattered papers among the ashes and debris. Yue could even see hints of old bones, and prayed that Syaoran did not notice them.

Behind them, Touya hugged Sakura close, while Tomoyo squeezed her hand. Yue imagined they were finally starting to realize the depths of the tragedy Syaoran had suffered. It was one thing to hear, but it was another to see.

"There are no ghosts here, _imotou-chan_ ," Touya whispered to Sakura.

Yue wondered how true that was.

Syaoran's grip on his hand tightened in distress. "I don't remember where our own house was."

"It's alright," Yue soothed, "We'll find it."

"I didn't think I would forget." The boy sounded miserable. "I grew up here. How can I forget...?"

He burst into tears, and Yue extended a wing to shelter him from the others as he pulled his charge close.

"We can go. The others can look around."

"No." Syaoran collected himself with a visible heave. "No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I'm alright. It's just a shock, to see this place again."

_I know._ Yue tucked the boy close for a while, letting Syaoran feel surrounded, sheltered. He looked at the feathers on the wing he used to cover the boy. _Bird-man. Pfft._ If Touya ever saw Li Yelan, Yue was going to ask him to relate to her that at least he was a bird and not a bat. A Li Syaoran raised by a Bat-man would probably be less adjusted.

Though at times like these, Yue wished the boy were _more_ so. _If I can take away your pain, so you can be happier..._ his heart clenched.

Syaoran hurried ahead when he was let go, prompting the others to hasten along.

They eventually found Syaoran's old home, which was not in much better shape than the others. The sign was nowhere to be seen, and the doors were broken into pieces. Syaoran's grip was like a vice, and the boy walked with a visible tremor in his gait, so that Yue feared he might fall.

It occurred to Yue that _he_ should have come here and cleaned things up before Syaoran came when they came upon a bright dress filled with bones, and Syaoran just collapsed.

"Oh my God," He shuddered in Cantonese, "Oh my God. Oh my God."

Touya cursed, and Yue swept the shivering boy into his arms. "Breathe, child!"

"S-Sorry, sorry, _gomen nasai—"_

"We are getting out of here." This was a stupid idea. He should have come here first, cleaned up the place and at least buried all the bodies. _Stupid, stupid—_

" _Iie._ I just—" Syaoran inhaled, then looked at the pile of bones. He started laughing, hysteria lacing the harsh breathing. "I don't even know—I mean, I don't remember—could be any of them. I don't recognize—"

His hands shook. Sakura loomed over where they huddled on the floor. She bent down calmly and gathered Syaoran into a hug. The soft contours of her aura floated around the two of them like a fog. Syaoran gripped her arm tight, cheeks glistening, and he stared at the pile of bones as if daring himself to break down again.

Tomoyo was crying. This was no place for children, but she had insisted on coming. It was probably not the best decision, but it might have been a necessary one. If they were to understand this threat to Sakura, they had to come here. It was either that, or face the threat on their own.

Touya was staring at something, and seemed to be distracted all of the sudden.

" _Touya-kun?_ " Yue called.

"Oh. _Eeto..._ oneeee second," He looked confused.

Sakura dropped her head next to Syaoran's. "Don't tell me there's a ghost here, _Oni-chan_."

Syaoran looked up. " _Nani?_ "

"Relax," Touya turned to him. "I'm going to have a look around. You take it easy, alright?"

Syaoran lifted a hand to his face. "I thought I was stronger than this." He laughed again, just as hysterically.

"You _are_ strong," Sakura said sadly.

Touya left them, and Tomoyo came close. Kero rested on Syaoran's shoulder, looking like he had a headache. They listened to Touya walk around, opening drawers, to Yue's bemusement. Moments later, he came back.

"Look what I found," He held his hands up. In one hand was a black and white board of some kind, in the shape of an eight-pointed star made of two squares, with a yin-yang in the middle.

Yue recognized that board.

" _Rashinban_ ," Kero breathed. "So _that's_ where it went."

Syaoran loosened Sakura's embrace to sit up better. " _N-Nan desu ka?"_

Yue took the board from Touya. "One of Clow Reed's devices. He used them to localize the Clow Cards. It can be used to track magical entities. This can be very useful."

Touya appeared to listen to something. "So the kid might be better at using this thing than the _kaijuu_ , since he's better at sensing, but both of them can use it because they just need to have magic. In fact, apparently even _I_ can use it too, though it's doubtful I'd know what I'm doing." _  
_

"There _is_ a ghost here, isn't there?" Sakura whispered, sounding a little freaked out.

"There are _dead corpses_ here, Sakura," Syaoran snapped. Rude, but he was at his limits, and not even Touya remarked on it. "Give me the board. What's it called? _Rashinban?_ "

Yue handed it to him. Syaoran stared, looking at the colors and the designs.

"I have no idea how to use this thing."

Touya was mouthing words. "Alright," He said at last, "Oh _Kami_ , I think I forgot again. What...alright, so I think the incantation is, 'the kings of gods command...gods appear from all directions. Gold, wood, water, fire, earth, thunder, wind, lighting. The New Command...? Soft Thunder, Spinning Thunder, Obey the Command'." He finished, then looked at the rest of the group.

Syaoran glared. "I'm not remembering that."

"King of the what?" Tomoyo was baffled.

Yue, remembering the incantation, repeated it for Syaoran, who tried it. The board did nothing.

"You need to focus," Kero scolded.

"I am!" The boy protested, even if he really was not.

"This can wait until we leave this place." Yue was not keen on remaining here any longer than necessary. "If this is what we came for, I recommend we go."

" _Iie,_ " Syaoran shook his head, standing up unsteadily. "I'm not _—_ I'm not leaving them all like this."

Yue and Sakura looked at the old decayed bones. Who knew how many such bodies littered the complex.

"No," Yue exerted his power as Syaoran's foster parent, "Not today. Not when we have other things to worry about. Whatever is after Sakura. These bodies can wait. They have for six years, they will be here when we return."

More tears spilled. Syaoran wiped his eyes. "I don't _—_ it's not _—_ "

"Remember what your _Mama_ told you," Yue reminded him. "Do as I tell you."

The boy was hesitant, but he nodded, and allowed Yue to hoist him up and carry him. Sakura watched, green eyes solemn.

"Let's get away from this cursed place," Yue ordered, eager to leave the complex.

The others complied without protest.

* * *

There were actually two incantations for the lasin board, and neither of them worked.

"Source of light with ancient spin,  
Send forth the magic power within.  
Oracles of Gold, Wood, Fire, Earth,  
Cloud, Wind, Rain, & Electricity.  
Force know my plight,  
Release the light!"

Nothing.

"Is there something wrong with me?" Syaoran scowled. "Maybe this needs a Card Master to use."

"It didn't work for me either," Sakura pointed out. "I guess there's something wrong with both of us."

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"You're unsettled," Kero insisted, "You can't use a compass and expect it to work if the fields are all over the place."

"I'm calm!" Syaoran glared. "It's this useless piece of wood that is making me 'unsettled'. Maybe this thing is too old?"

"Doubtful," Yue was watching the group from one end of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. Touya was balanced similarly.

Syaoran looked like he wanted to throw the board, but opted for tossing it lightly onto the rug. "I need a break."

"That sounds like a good idea," Tomoyo said gently, as the boy rose to stretch his legs. Sakura bent to pick the board up and place it gently on the coffee table.

Yue turned his head to regard Touya. "Did Li Yelan offer any other insight?" He asked in low tones so the children could not overhear.

"Not in regards to the board, the incantation's the incantation, nothing more to it," Touya's voice was equally hushed. "She was just sad about her son." He paused. "I wish Sakura had not seen it."

Yue considered the girl. "She's turned eleven already. In the days of Clow, girls her age have seen far worse. I admit that this was my oversight though. I had been more concerned about Syaoran, and disposing of our threat. It didn't occur to me to go clean up the place before we all went to look, though I'm not sure how I would have managed that if it did."

"She's handling it. It's just a pile of bones to her, nothing we haven't seen in a museum. It's just Syaoran's reaction that bothered her," Yue wondered when Touya started using the boy's name. It would probably be hard to hold on to any petty grudge after witnessing what they did, though. "She didn't know any of those people. It wasn't as grotesque as it could have been." The teen looked at Yue. "You two will be alright?"

"We've survived worse," Yue admitted, "But he's going to have nightmares tonight, I think."

"Sakura mentioned using the Dream Card."

"I'll consider it," Said Yue, "It's taxing on her too."

_"I don't even know if this one, I mean what if Clow originally meant for this thing to be said in Latin?"_ Syaoran was grumbling. _"Or is this supposed to be said in Chinese?"_

"I am sorry for treating him the way I did before," Touya said, voice contrite. "He's a remarkable kid. I mean, if it were me, I think I would hate everyone. You obviously did a great job raising him. I never meant to belittle that."

"Oh, he totally was a little brat. Always has been," Yue allowed himself a smile, "And I think he enjoys the relationship between you two more than you realize. You've never crossed any line. And now, you know what lines not to cross."

Touya was thoughtful after this. Syaoran was just frustrated.

"I think I'm done," He said, crestfallen. "I am giving myself a headache and the board is playing dead."

"I'm kind of hungry," Sakura admitted.

"Me too!" Kero chirped.

Yue levered himself off the wall. _Food, then games,_ He decided. "Syaoran, can you go get the rice?" When the boy nodded and headed to the kitchen, the guardian picked up the lasin board, which had once again found its way to the rug.

"No more _rashinban_ for tonight," He told Kero, who was too distracted by the idea of dinner to disagree. He hid it between two books on the bookshelf. They could look into it after a good night's rest.

* * *

Thanks to Sakura's Dream Card, Syaoran slept well that night. The following morning, it was actually Sakura who was groggy and out of sorts. Syaoran, in contrast, was almost chipper, much to the confusion of Touya, Kero, and Tomoyo.

"Do you want to stay in or do you want to do some more sightseeing?"

" _Hoe?_ " Sakura blinked, " _Nani?_ "

They tried using the lasin board, but Sakura was too sleepy and Syaoran was still inexperienced. He managed to make it glow, so there was _some_ kind of response, but the beam kept pointing to Sakura's cards, which was not particularly helpful.

"It was _my_ turn to have a bad dream," Sakura grumbled to Yue, "I saw that woman again, and she was in water, except I could hear her say, 'I've been waiting for a long time'. Then her robes grew a life of their own and _grabbed_ me. It was _awful._ "

She had marks on her arms that she claimed matched where the robes grabbed her. This worried Yue.

"You know how people use to have marks like they got crucified?" Kero asked grimly.

"This isn't like that," Yue shook his head. "I don't know what this is, but we should keep an eye on this."

Meanwhile, Syaoran was relieved to conclude that there was nothing wrong with him after all.

"Well, we know this works and we know that I work," He twirled the board in his hand, "Maybe we're just too far away from whatever it is, and Sakura is a huge interference. You huge interference, you! What's wrong with you!" He poked at the air in her direction, laughing.

Touya tugged Yue's sleeve. "Did you feed him a mountain of chocolate yesterday without telling us?"

"I did no such thing."

Sakura was awake enough to joke back, "Maybe the interference is _you_ _._ "

" _Iie,_ can't be. Beam is constantly pointing you."

"Well maybe that's because _you_ want it to."

_Not awake enough to realize what she just said._ Yue intervened before Touya could react to his baby sister accidentally flirting with Syaoran. "So what's the plan for today?"

"I'm alright with sightseeing," Sakura rubbed her eyes and yawned, "I mean, it's really up to you. I don't want to let some water and birds and water woman get in the way of that."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Touya remarked, "At least not when we don't even know what is going on. Maybe _Li-san_ can work a little more on the board, or if he doesn't feel like it, you can, but until we know what's after you? I don't know if it's wise to go out and about."

"I can work on the board. You folks can go have fun."

"We're here for _your_ birthday, _Syaoran-kun._ "

"Which is tomorrow. I can live with working the day before."

" _Iiieeee,_ come along. This time I won't follow any strange birds," Sakura insisted, "We'll stick together and have fun and I won't use my magic or chase after any magical things. With any luck, we'll fly out of Hong Kong with no more incident."

After some discussion, it was decided that they would go touring.

"No running off," Syaoran grinned at Sakura. Yue managed to snap a photo of Kero and Tomoyo's dumbstruck expressions. Sakura was still too out of it to notice.

Touya glared down at Syaoran. "You better behave yourself," He warned.

Syaoran, being only ten going on eleven and therefore completely oblivious to the potential consequences of his response, remarked, "You should tell that to your sister."

Yue was ready to dive in and protect his child, but thankfully the teen seemed to realize he was dealing with a prepubescent boy who had no idea how his words could be interpreted. "Hmph!" He grunted, and left it at that.

* * *

Despite their intentions to stick together like glue, the group did separate for a bit to browse through stores. Tomoyo waved a particular hairpin at Touya, asking him if he thought his sister would like it.

"As if I'd know," Said the teen, "Girl things. Blegh."

"See, this is why you haven't won any girlfriends," Yue chastised when the girl bounced away, "How can you hope to get one if you don't bother figuring out what they're interested in?"

"I'll figure out what the girl _I'm_ interested in is interested in and spare myself the jaw-popping yawn-inducing narcoleptic task of finding out generics when they don't even necessarily apply to everyone anyway. Who knows what women like. They like jewelry, but not even the same kinds. And I have no interest in getting a girlfriend who even remotely resembles my sister."

"That is kind of disturbing," Yue conceded, and the two of them shuddered.

"Where _is_ the _kaijuu_ anyway," Touya wondered, stepping away from the guardian to search for his errant sister.

Syaoran tugged Yue moments later and pulled him out to an old store, where he stood them in front of a stand full of swords.

"No," Said Yue.

"I just want to show you!"

"No. You have a sword, it works very well."

Syaoran was in a _very_ cheerful mood, because he did not let up. "But they look pretty sweet, you have to admit."

"Should I be worried that you love blades so much?"

"Don't turn me into a girl."

"I'm not sure if love of sharp lethal objects is necessarily 'manly'."

"I just think they are useful. Look at this one, this is a small dagger. I have a long sword," And Yue had to suppress a laugh at this; Syaoran's 'sword' might as well be a dagger for an adult. The boy's perception was a bit skewed because he was small himself. "And it is awkward sometimes. This one is much more portable."

"When would you ever use one of these?"

"Would be nice to have."

"They would not allow you to take it to school and you have no business using it anywhere. This thing does not even have magical capacity."

"I can infuse it."

"You're better off saving your efforts for something else." Yue ruffled his head, which earned him a good-natured scowl.

Then suddenly, it was like something tugged on his heart.

Syaoran sensed it too. "Sakura."

There was a sound of water. Liquid sloshed at their feet. Yue looked down, heart starting to speed up.

"Syaoran!" He yelled. "Get—"

In a flash, the world around them pulsed. Water was all around him, around Syaoran.

_"Why did you come? Why do you have the Clow Cards?"_

_That voice!_

_"I called for Clow Reed. Where is Clow Reed?"_

Syaoran's sword sparked into being as his body swept in the water. He lunged at a figure Yue could not see, but with a seize, he suddenly realized that Sakura was in danger. Sakura. Whoever dragged them in here was after Sakura. He had to find her!

The water whipped about. He used the power of the moon to ground himself. Lights and flickers danced in the water, magic swirling about them, bright yet tainted.

_"Where is Clow Reed?_ "

He found Sakura and pulled her body back. Kero was still in his false form; the water would have weakened his true form, which would not be useful anyway. Sakura strained in his arms, and he felt her latch on to someone—the weight yanked at them, and he strove to maintain his leverage.

Light flashed. Syaoran's silhouette engaged that of a woman, with flowing hair and robes. Yue could think of nothing other than to pull Sakura back. Tomoyo's figure materialized out of the murk, her wrist firmly clasped in Sakura's hands. The girl's key drifted in the water, anchored by the string. She let go with one hand to grasp at it, when they were blinded by another flash.

Red. Yue could taste metal in the water. Blood gushed and clouded everywhere, and then all of the sudden the water was gone.

They were back at the old store, not even wet. Everything was as it had been, the books dry and the carpets clean.

Sakura gasped. " _Oni-chan!_ "

Yue paled when he saw the sword stand. _Xiaolang._

" _Xiaolang?_ " He called out, as Sakura called for her brother. _Did no one else in the store notice the magic that occurred here?_

But the boy was nowhere to be found. Touya had also vanished.

_"Oni-chan!"_

_"Xiaolang!"_

Kero cursed. "That woman! It was that fortune-teller! Yue, remember?"

Yue froze. Kero's words sparked a memory. Clow Reed had come here once...there was a fortune-teller who used water, was a bitter rival of his...

" _Kami..._ " Sakura whimpered, "I don't even know—there was this book, and I just wanted to open it, it doesn't even make sense because I _know_ not to open books without—I mean the Clow Cards—but then I opened it anyway and I don't know why, and then this place just filled up with water and then all of the sudden we were— _Kami-sama_ what have I done?"

_What have_ I _done?_ Yue felt cold, as his mind recalled the last thing he saw before they were returned to the bookstore. Red, painting within the watery world, Syaoran's silhouette.

_Oh. God. No._


	7. Chapter Seven

"I don't know, I _knew_ better than to do it," Sakura wept, and Yue could not bear to blame her when she was already blaming herself.

"You were tired." _From helping Syaoran with your Dream Card._ "It was a powerful spell. We can still save them."

"But _Syaoran-kun_..."

Yes, Syaoran. There was nothing that could be said; nothing meaningful, anyhow. They had figured out what might have been going on: long ago Clow Reed had come to Hong Kong, and met with a fortune-teller. He taught her magic, which she then abused, transforming herself into a mighty entity that terrorized the area. Clow Reed had confronted her and locked her away to die, but her spirit must have persisted, because there was really no other explanation for it.

"We need to find a way to get to where she took them," Kero explained.

"The well, where I tripped the first time," Sakura breathed, referring to when she had gotten drenched after following the birds, "That must be the entrance. It was on the book cover I had opened."

Yue wasted no time. "Let's go."

* * *

Unfortunately, the well was protected by a powerful force barrier, and Sakura was at a loss as to how to break through. She was currently trying to use the rashinban, but having had less practice than Syaoran, she was not having much luck.

 _"Source of light with ancient spin,_  
_Send forth the magic power within._  
_Oracles of Gold, Wood, Fire, Earth,_  
_Cloud, Wind, Rain, & Electricity._  
_Force know my plight,_  
_Release the light!"_

Nothing.

"Keep calm," Kero intoned, which was almost comical, because Yue did not want anyone to be calm. Yue was not calm. Right now, Syaoran could be dying, wherever he was. There had been so much blood, and he had been fighting that fortune-teller, and every second they wasted trying to get to the well was an extra second closer to death and Yue did not know what he would do if Syaoran died from this, not like this, _not like this—_

"You can do it, _Sakura-chan_ ，," Tomoyo insisted.

Sakura took a deep breath, and tried again.

Then, light some sign from the gods—Clow Reed had always described miracles as such—the lasin board glowed, and a beam of light sliced through the force field, powered by Sakura's own magic.

Yue dove through first.

Sakura came right after him.

* * *

They came upon a world between worlds, and Yue wanted to pull his hair out; it was like every dimension was trying to get between him and Syaoran.

"Where are we?" Sakura asked, sounding small and afraid.

Yue's instincts surged, and he found himself siding close to the girl. She was young, only slightly older than Syaoran, just as lost and confused by all this as he would be.

"We are in a world between worlds," He told her, "Time is meaningless here, space is meaningless here. This is not the place we need to go to. We need to concentrate on getting to where we need to go— _you_ need to concentrate on getting where we need to go."

Sakura was frightened, but she nodded with determination, and shut her eyes to focus.

Yue waited with bated breath. With people like Sakura, who had a lot of raw power but not a lot of finesse, it was hard to say if any spell would work within a given timeframe; she would master any spell she needed to master, but the question was _when_ , and in this world between worlds that could mean anything. Not to mention, they could materialize in the _wrong_ world...and that presented its own problems.

Their environment shimmered. Color bled in, and Sakura opened her eyes when their surroundings solidified. Grass. Trees. Sky. No Tomoyo, no Kero. Nothing moving around them.

"...I think we went to the wrong place," The girl worried her lip.

Yue frowned. He was not so sure. Something was out there..."Follow me," He ordered, heading toward the source.

It was not Syaoran. Syaoran was nowhere, and neither was Touya. But it was something familiar, and Yue was not going to let the fortune-teller get away with this. Never mind that she should have been dead for thousands of years. He was going to tear her apart with his bare hands if he had to—

The world shimmered again. Yue's wings spread out as he braked himself. Sakura came running behind. He looked ahead, spotting her; long hair free under a black headdress, red robes trailing a white skirt and long white sleeves.

_"Why did you imprison her, Master? I thought you loved her."_

_"I did, Yue, and I still do. I wish I could have spared her."_ Silence, thereafter, though Yue kept raising questions of—

"Madoushi," He growled.

Madoushi, the sorceress who once broke Clow Reed's heart, snarled at him and Sakura.

"Why did you return?" She snapped in Chinese.

Sakura held her wand in front of her. "Let everyone go!"

A hint of a smirk lifted the corners of Madoushi's lips. "If you want them back," She stated, this time in Japanese, "Bring Clow Reed here."

Yue hissed. "We can't bring him here. He's—"

"I've been waiting for him."

Without warning, she unleashed an attack. Instinct had Yue rolling Sakura into his arms and spinning out of the way. They flew up, and the woman followed, silks trailing behind her like a Chinese goddess.

"Where is Clow Reed!?"

 _I am out of practice._ Flying with Syaoran had never consisted of dodging spells like this. Thankfully, his guardian reflexes remained unchanged over the millennia, but his heart raced all the same, and he was not sure if he was suffocating Sakura as he held her tight.

"Where is he?! Where is Reed?!"

"He's gone," Sakura choked out, "It's been centuries, he's been dead for thousands of years!"

The spells paused only briefly.

"That's a lie, a lie! You filthy little liar!"

He sensed her come up to him and threw Sakura aside as a spell collided. He hardly felt any pain, but the momentum threw him off course. It took several flaps of his wings to right himself again, during which time Madoushi dove for Sakura. He dove for her in turn, striking her to the side and spreading his wings out to shield Sakura.

"She speaks the truth, for I am a Guardian of Clow." The wind almost blew him off balance again, and he exerted an effort to remain steady. "Clow Reed has been dead for millennia, and I would know, for I have wandered this realm for all of those years. You strike at his heir, the Card Mistress, and you hold his descendant captive." He summoned his energy bow, which he pulled back to form an arrow, aiming directly at the woman's throat. "Release them, _now_."

She seemed to see him for the first time, and her eyes flickered between the head of his arrow and his face. A laugh burst out of her, hysterical, not unlike Syaoran's when he had been overwhelmed in the nightmarish setting of the massacred Li clan.

"You are lying," She laughed again, "He can't die. There's no way he can die. Millennia—" She broke off, her arms lowering to settle limply at her sides.

Yue's heart was still pounding, his vision red with Syaoran's blood. Sakura's gentle face was more of a shock than any lightning could cause.

" _Gomen nasai,_ " She said softly, "I know this must be hard for you. You've been waiting for him, haven't you?"

"I've been waiting for him all this time," Madoushi's voice grew quiet. "All this time. I used all the power I had to wait for him, however long it took. I used everything."

"You really loved Clow, didn't you?" Sakura whispered. She reached out for her. "He's been gone for a long time. People have mourned him. Yue had too."

Yue blinked, feeling a little dazed. When did Sakura become so perceptive? The energy bow dissipated in his hands.

Madoushi stared at Sakura, and Yue was not sure if she was staring at her or through her.

"Is Clow Reed really dead?"

Sakura nodded solemnly. " _Hai._ "

Madoushi looked away. "I had waited all this time. There was something I wanted to say...but I guess it's too late." Her eyes lowered and closed. " _Gomen nasai._ "

Her figure started breaking apart right before their eyes, turning into wispy tendrils of air and mist. Around them, the world was also breaking apart. Yue grabbed Sakura and pulled her to him as everything shattered.

* * *

"Yue, get up."

Yue opened his eyes. They were back by the well, now devoid of magical aura. Kero was shaking Yue's shoulder.

The guardian leaped to his feet. They were back. Were the others—

Touya was cradling something close. Yue's heart turned to ice, and his world tunneled in to that small form, limp and pale, clothes coated with blood.

_"Yue, he's still bleeding—"_

_"We need to call the ambulance—"_

_"—what's the number for the ambulance? Is anyone around—"_

He was grabbing Syaoran, who was too limp—he was far too limp, even when the boy was in exhausted sleep, he had never been so limp. Touya was shouting at him.

"Yue, you and Kero are the only ones here who speak Cantonese and _you're_ the only person here who knows what emergency number to dial, Yue, snap out of it, we need to get him to a hospital!"

" _Xiaolang?_ " The boy was completely unresponsive. Though he was taken in a water world, his hair was dry and his skin was dry and the only parts of him that were wet were his clothes, which were dark and stained, and he was still bleeding someone mentioned he was still bleeding where was he bleeding—

"Yue!"

White pain burned on his cheek. He looked up, more startled than angry. Touya was holding a phone, and he grabbed the guardian by the collar.

"Ambulance, now," He ordered, shoving the phone into his hand.

Yue's fingers were red, and when he dumbly punched in the numbers the buttons were similarly stained.

_"This is...please state...your emergency?"_

"I need an ambulance, my son is dying." It felt like someone else was speaking those words.

_"Please state your location sir."_

"Wh-where are we?"

He had asked this in Chinese, so he had to repeat it in Japanese, which was stupid because how were Touya and Sakura and Tomoyo supposed to know where they were if Yue did not? But they managed to tell him anyway, since the signs were written in English, and Kero flew up to survey the area and give them better directions.

Touya pulled Syaoran from Yue, and at first the guardian wanted to protest, but it turned out the teen was just trying to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, the operator was inquiring as to the status of his son, how he was injured, and giving instructions; keep calm, press on the wound, try to control the bleeding, control the area—Sakura was crying, Tomoyo was hugging her, Touya was getting blood all over himself, there was blood everywhere—

* * *

"He has lost a lot of blood. We are giving him a transfusion, hopefully he pulls through." The doctors were grim but brisk. So many patients to take care of, not enough hours in a day. "His vitals have plateaued," _Whatever that meant_ , "So for now, we'll wait and watch."

Evening hung dark and solemn outside the windows, glittering though it was by city lights. In a few hours it would be midnight and Syaoran's birthday. The boy looked like he might disappear into the white cot underneath the wires and tubes; tape around the tube in his mouth, heart monitor beeping. They had taken him to surgery to explore his wound. He had come out still intubated and heavily sedated. Next to the machine, the ventilator hissed and huffed, and lines curved up and down on the screen, drawing patterns that seemed to blend with the haze that refused to lift from Yue's mind.

"Visiting hours will be over in an hour," The doctor said sympathetically, "You can stay if you don't mind sleeping in a chair; not enough beds, I'm sorry to say. Your friends will have to leave though, otherwise this place will get too crowded."

"That's fine," Yue said dully. "I'll tell them, they're Japanese so they don't know what you just said."

"Oh. Well, you let the nurses know if you need anything, sir."

The guardian nodded, and the physician left them. Kero translated everything to the group, while Yue took a seat next to the boy.

" _Kero-chan_ can stay..." Sakura offered, looking uncertain. The other guardian seemed willing to follow through.

Yue shook his head. " _Iie,_ we'll be alright. If anything happens...it's not like he can help." This was not something the sun guardian could tackle with a fireball, or Sakura could use a spell for. She might be able to, one day, but not now. Not when it mattered.

"Are you sure?" The girl asked, "I don't want you to be alone."

She was so honest and genuine. Yue looked up at her, musing that it was probably no wonder that Clow Reed strove so hard to make her a Card Master. In his bitterness and disappointment following the Final Judgment, he had forgotten that Clow Reed had always done what he thought was best for others. He might not have seen Syaoran, but he might have thought Sakura would make a good master because she was so kind and open. Better secure her, rather than risk Yue selecting a master who was competent but cruel. He reached out and touched her face.

"I'll be alright. He and I...we were enough for each other for five years." Kero would never understand. Sakura would never understand. Yue looked back at his charge. "I don't need anyone else."

He knew his words hurt, though he was not of the mind to fathom why. Touya guided his sister to the other side of the cot.

"There's still an hour," Said the teen, "We'll stay until then."

As Tomoyo and the Kinomotos took their seats, Kero on Sakura's lap, Yue continued to regard the child that brought happiness back to his life for the last six years.

"He will be alright," He insisted, half to himself and half to others. "You know, when I first met him, he was hurt worse than this—had a fever and a broken leg, swam away from his captors, thought I was going to kill him. He was five. I mean," He held his face in his hands, "He can't die from...from some _ghost_."

"The kid's strong," Touya said gently, "He was a gaki all the way till the end—I mean till he was unconscious. Kept mouthing me off when I was trying to save his sorry butt."

Yue laughed, then choked back a sob and allowed silence to descend.

 _I had completely forgotten about him to save Sakura._ He was reaching for her again in the water, pulling on her small form, while Syaoran sailed forward to confront Madoushi. _I did not even think about protecting him at all._

_I had failed him._

He only wished the boy would not suffer from that failure.

* * *

Syaoran was playing with his wings.

_"I wish I had wings. These are pretty."_

_"You might one day."_ Visions of Syaoran as a future Card Master danced before his eyes, though the image was blurry. Right now, Syaoran was a cute little six-year-old boy. Probably not an appropriate candidate to wield all the Clow Cards.

The little imp was moving his wing at the joints, trying to find all the points of rotation, the attachment at the scapula, the short humerus, the radius and ulna. Yue allowed him, lying on his stomach on the bed. He usually did not like to spread his wings out when he was not using them; they felt awkward and large, rather useless when he was not airborne. For the boy though, he was doing all sorts of things he normally would not do, and it amazed him sometimes how content he felt, listening and feeling the child going around, an ever-present companion now in his life.

The boy was starting to attempt bending where there were no joints as well, just to investigate thoroughly. His short little arms barely had the strength to tickle Yue, let alone hurt him; the guardian was stronger than the average human male, and his wings were made of magic and not something even a wrestler could snap—but Yue made a show of groaning, and reacting as if he were in pain, just to scare the little youngster. Syaoran jumped, looking horrified and ready to apologize. Yue dove onto the child and tickled his tummy.

_"What are you trying to do, you mischievous brat? What are you trying to do?"_

Syaoran giggled. _"Stop! Stop! No, stop! Hahaha!"_ And Yue stopped before he could make the child cry.

Still giggling, Syaoran squirmed, scrunching up the bedcovers under him. Yue released him, moving to the side so they lied next to each other. The child cuddled close.

_"Yue, I love you."_

_Yue, I love you._

_Yue, I love you._

He woke. The hospital was dark. In the moonlight, he saw that the clock read several minutes after three. Syaoran's heart monitor continued beeping. He could hear nurses going about outside, sleepy residents and attendings yawning.

Then the beeping suddenly accelerated, and an alarm began to blare from the ventilator. Syaoran twisted his head, and his body writhed a little against the tubes. His groan was choked, and he grimaced as if in pain.

Yue wasted no time assuring the boy he was there. "It's alright, Syaoran. I'm here." He pressed the button for the nurse, then took the child's cold hand. "I'm here. You're alright. You're going to be alright."

The nurse came quickly, and they turned the lights on. Syaoran bit down on the tube coming out of his mouth, and started writhing again. An attending showed up, this one different from the doctor from earlier. He looked over at the ventilator screen, then at the monitors displaying the vitals.

"Syaoran? Child, I need you to calm down. Listen to me. Can you hear me?"

Syaoran opened his eyes, but they were glazed over, and he continued to writhe.

"Can we up the sedation?" the doctor asked the nurse. "How much does he weigh?" He stepped out to check the chart while the nurse came to hold Syaoran's wrists down. He soon stepped back, murmuring to the nurse to increase the titration, and took over holding the wrists down while trying to talk to Syaoran. "Easy kid," he said, "you're alright. Whoever hurt you is not here. You're safe. Give him some morphine too, he's wincing a lot."

Syaoran fell asleep after they dosed him, which the doctor seemed disappointed about.

"Probably for the best though," He said, "Let him recover a little more before waking. He seemed to be in a lot of pain."

The doctor tucked the boy in, the sight piercing Yue profoundly— _this person cares, this person cares, oh god what have I done—_ before leaving with the assurance that Yue could call them anytime he needed.

The guardian sat in his chair and held his head in his hands again, feeling full to bursting with...something, but he was not sure what. He felt very lost and alone, and though he did not want Kero with him, he wondered if rejecting Sakura's offer had been so wise after all.

 _What do I know of being a parent?_ What did he know of love? _What am I supposed to do now?_ How was he supposed to cope with this?

He wanted Clow. He suddenly missed him as keenly as Madoushi did. He would give anything—short of Syaoran, for Clow to be here again. Clow would know what to do. He would have the power to save this boy, who was his own descendant, shared his own blood. In his mind's eye he could see the old sorcerer tending to Syaoran and seeing all the wonderful things Yue saw in him. Clow was always so wise, he would know what to do. He would save this boy, be able to take away his pain, prevent this from even happening.

_Clow has been dead for centuries...millennia...thousands of years..._

Yue breathed in and tried to clear his thoughts. He stared at Syaoran for a moment, then rested his head down near that small, cold hand.

 _I'd give anything for you to be well. Anything._ Life. Magic. Self.

He just wished there were a way to buy that wish.

* * *

Syaoran woke the next morning in a much calmer state. The hospital team rounded on him and hovered around the ventilator machine, pointing at the graphs being drawn and saying something about the numbers. "Good tidal volume," they exclaimed. "Look at that. He's good. Let's extubate."

Extubation was another gut-wrenching affair. Syaoran convulsed and gagged and coughed. Yue's eyes watered at the sight, but though it seemed to take forever, in reality the whole process was over in less than a minute. They pressed an oxygen mask to the child's face while cooing reassurances. The doctors stayed only long enough to confirm that his vitals did not change, before striding out of the room.

An hour later, he was on a nasal cannula and had passed the bedside swallow screen.

"Oh good so the lasin board _did_ help out," He rasped, wincing as he drank some water. His voice was almost nonexistent, which the nurse said was normal after having a tube in the way, even as relatively briefly as Syaoran had. "Which incantation did she use?"

"The one you liked better."

"I knew it. What's with the 'King of the gods' nonsense anyway?" He stared at the intravenous line. "This thing hurts. Can I take it out?"

"Not right now."

"Why not?"

 

One of the doctors came back later to check on him. Syaoran miserably complained of his throat. "Ah," The doctor made a sympathetic noise, "You had us worried for a while, little one. Your dad here stayed with you all night."

Syaoran did not react much to that. Yue supposed that for him, he had expected as much.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"I don't remember much..." The boy looked at him, a clever way to ask what story they gave the hospital, "What happened?"

They had said they did not know what happened, which was true in a way. All Yue saw was the aftermath, the blood floating in the water. He was not sure how Syaoran received his injuries. All the hospital could decipher was that Syaoran had been stabbed by something. The doctor reached out to ruffle the boy's hair.

"I'm going to run a few tests, just to check on how you're doing. Do you know the date?"

He conducted a few more tests, at the end of which Syaoran was exhausted. The doctor gave Yue a reassuring pat on the shoulder and declared that the boy should recover reasonably well. "He seems to be in good mental health," He reported, "No signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Just take it easy with him and be supportive. Children are resilient."

A stab in the abdomen, frankly, would hardly warrant a nightmare for Syaoran, let alone post-trauma. Yue was more upset that this happened under his watch. The doctor had no way of comprehending this, and left without saying much more. Touya brought the others to visit a few hours later.

"We bought cake..." Sakura said awkwardly, hoisting a fat chocolate cake that was bigger than her head. "I wasn't sure if you could eat it, but we bought it just in case."

Syaoran made a pinched expression, as if the very smell made him nauseous. Considering his wounds, he likely did not have much of an appetite.

"Can you put that away?" He asked plaintively, "I'm sorry but I think I'm gonna throw up if you don't and I don't have the energy to do it."

"Doctor mentioned something about vagal reactions," Yue shook his head, "All I got was that solid foods are probably not a good idea right now."

"I appreciate the thought though."

"No problem," Sakura was a little disappointed, but not offended. "If it weren't for you, I don't think we could have solved the problem."

" _Pfft._ I didn't do anything."

"You got the lasin board," Sakura pointed out, "And you went home for it. It must have been very hard, but you did it anyway."

Unused to praise from anyone other than Yue, Syaoran squirmed under the tubes and wires, blushing.

"We need to redo this birthday," Tomoyo declared, "Properly. With cake."

"I have a gift for you," Sakura said happily.

" _Nani?_ " Syaoran blinked.

"It would have to wait until after you leave the hospital though. I don't think we're allowed to bring something like that here."

Yue looked at Touya warily. "What is it?" He asked under his breath.

"You'll see."

Syaoran looked intrigued. "You really know how to motivate a patient to recover," he said to the Card Mistress.

Sakura just winked.


	8. Chapter Eight

They stayed in Hong Kong for Syaoran to recover. The Kinomotos and Tomoyo went home with Kero when the return date came upon them. Sakura was worried that Syaoran was never returning to Tomoeda, but the boy assured her that Yue had to be there, and that he intended to be a constant nuisance in her life as soon as he was able to handle a flight across the sea.

"At the very least I need to keep your brother in line," He told her, "He needs to work on his bantering skills."

" _Gaki,_ " Touya had muttered, but clasped Syaoran's hand before they left, warning him to be careful with Sakura's gift, which turned out, to Yue's slight dismay, to be the dagger the child had pestered him about in the old store. Interestingly enough, Touya and Syaoran had somehow bonded over the whole ordeal, though the teen had already shown an interest in reaching out to Syaoran after they visited the Li territories, so perhaps this was not so strange.

Once they left, it was just the two of them again, Syaoran bored but feeble, Yue trying not to let his guilt interfere with his caretaker duties. The boy made him read to him, and sometimes he would study the lasin board, remarking on the designs and how he never knew this thing existed.

"If we look for fingerprints, do you suppose we'd find Clow Reed's fingerprints on this?"

"After two thousand years?"

"Could happen, but we wouldn't know if it's his, I guess."

After Syaoran was discharged from the hospital, Yue started dreaming about Madoushi, except it was no longer Madoushi but many other faceless and nameless nemeses that challenged Sakura and forced him to leave Syaoran's side. They took the pair and made him choose and of course Yue was always going to choose Sakura, because he had to. He was designed to. And he saw Syaoran fall, eyes glistening with tears of betrayal, and he felt like his heart would be torn from his chest.

Syaoran was too preoccupied with his own recovery to notice at first, but eventually he saw that something was wrong with his guardian.

"It's not like I'm dead or anything," The boy uttered, confused. "You're acting like you're the reason I got hurt."

_You were practically lost to us._ Everyone had chosen to downplay how close to death the boy had been. Yue almost considered revealing it, just so Syaoran could be angry at him. He did not deserve the child's blind trust. He should hand Syaoran off to someone who would take better care of him, especially now that he had a master to serve. There was no good way of bringing up the topic, however—not without Syaoran misconstruing it.

So he cradled the boy to him in a close embrace, trying to sort out what was the best thing to do now. Obviously, he had to return to Tomoeda, and Syaoran was coming with him, if only because there was no way Yue was going to leave him when there was no one else for the boy to go to. But perhaps he should start looking, try to find answers. Find a way to save the child by sending him away.

It would tear out his heart, but Yue would do no less for Syaoran. Clow Reed had never raised him to be selfish.

* * *

"Hiiragizawa Eriol," Syaoran snarled over a month later, on the first weekend after school started and Tomoeda was still hot and sunny. "He gives me the creeps, and he's so smooth and _slick_. Does it make any sense for him to flirt _only_ with Sakura? How come he does not flirt with any other girl?"

Yue had to admit that this tugged at his intuition somewhat, but he was not entirely willing to jump to conclusions.

"And he might as well be Kinomoto's clone. Kinomoto Fujitaka, I mean."

"Are you jealous?"

"Of what, that he's smooth and slick? _No_. It's utterly unnerving, I don't understand why the others don't feel it, though I guess Sakura is busy feeling flattered. You should have seen her blush. _'Kami-sama, this British boy is being nice to me!'_ "

Yue choked on a snort. "Don't worry, _Xiaolang_. At this age, no one knows who they like." If anyone gave him the creeps, it was that schoolteacher, Terada. The only reason he did not whisk Syaoran out of the school was because in Tomoeda, pedophilia seemed to be a norm and therefore did not seem to be as out of hand as in other communities where it was repressed— _as it should—_ though he made sure to inform Syaoran that if the teacher made any advances, Syaoran was to disregard any rule about public displays of magic; Yue wanted him _out of there_. That, and also the cards, which localized around town and made it impractical for Syaoran to continue his schooling anywhere else. At least Terada seemed fixated on that girl, Sasaki Rika, and so far showed no homosexual tendencies, though the guardian had vowed that _at the first sign, Xiaolang and I are_ leaving _this place_ _._ Though he would now have to convince the Kinomotos as well. And Daidouji, possibly.

The trials of being a parent. He could feel a headache blooming just from thinking about it. _Someone needs to find a way to fire that man._ Though until Terada actually did something blatantly inappropriate, he supposed there was little anyone could do. That was actually the third reason he chose to simply watch. There were all sorts of crazy people, and Yue would know. They could be disturbing, but often harmless as long as they were not provoked.

"What do I care what people like?" Syaoran huffed, and the guardian's attention was drawn back to the subject at hand. "She's allowed to like that British kid. If she goes out with him, though, I'm avoiding the two of them. He stares at me with the most bizarre look on his face, it's like someone else had pasted their smile on his face and it just looks off."

"You're not at all upset with the idea that she might go out with him?"

"No. Why would I be upset?" Syaoran denied vehemently, "But she can do better than him."

"Oh? For example?"

"I don't know!" The boy scrunched up his nose, "But ask _Touya-san_ , and I bet he'd agree with me!"

Yue swallowed his amusement. "Of _course_ _Touya-kun_ would agree with you." The teen was her brother, after all. "But I am telling you, at your age, it does not matter. Nothing is set in stone, none of you have ever solidified yourselves yet. Give it a few years, possibly less, and everyone would be pairing up differently all over again."

"Well he still creeps me out. More so than _Terada-sensei_."

The headache was back. _I need to find someone who would look out for this as much as I do._ Who would devote such concern to the boy, plan ahead and look out for predators that might prey on children? Then again, Terada did not seem to be a threat to Syaoran, whose instincts were often good— _though in this particular case, he is probably biased—_ Yue sighed and hugged the boy.

"How is your stomach?"

"Achy. I feel like... _blegh._ Need a nap before I do homework."

Syaoran had soldiered through all of his rehabilitation, international travel, and then schoolwork with a valiance that Yue could not help but be proud of, though this was not the first time he had considered lightening the boy's workload by doing some of it for him. It would irritate Syaoran's sense of honor though, even if half of the assignments were repetitive nonsense.

The boy straightened out his unkempt hair in a half-hearted fashion before heading off to take the proposed nap, muttering something about recess and Yamazaki. Yue laughed a little at this. In the past he might have taken a photo, though these days it had been hard; precious as Syaoran was, his injured state was not something Yue wanted to remember.

* * *

"I need help," Touya moaned, "There's a new girl in my school, and I am _seriously_ considering filing a restraining order."

Akizuki Nakuru was, in Yue's opinion, some kind of prostitute in a past life.

"Or a stalker, she's manic," The teen insisted, "Can you be my guardian for a while? Like, seriously, I'm scared of her. I think she might try to spike my drink, and then I'd wake up not knowing where I was and find her grinning at me like a crazy person. She only does this to me! How come she isn't doing this to some other bloke who might actually reciprocate?"

"That's fishy," Syaoran declared, looking gaunt and sick in the sunlight, "You have this girl, and Sakura has this boy. Since there's no such thing as a coincidence, you _might_ want to look into it."

"Sakura has a what?" This was the first Touya had heard of this.

Hiiragizawa, Yue mused, was unfortunate that he did not come several months earlier, when Touya was not as disposed to trusting Syaoran's judgment. It _did_ feel odd, and Yue's senses tingled in unhappiness. _Both_ junior Kinomotos? Who both had magic?

"Not another one," Syaoran moaned, as he retrieved the lasin board he brought from China, "And Sakura was the one who successfully used it, not me. Maybe because she couldn't interfere with herself. Watch as this thing points to the Clow Cards again," which it did, approximately; it pointed in the direction of the Kinomoto residence.

"I didn't sense any magic from Hiiragizawa, though with my _stellar_ abilities, that's not saying much."

"It is saying a lot," Yue insisted, "It means if he _still_ has magic, that he is especially powerful." Touya lightly punched Syaoran in the head, which earned both of them a glower when Yue did not remark on it.

"Well there's nothing we can do for now except wait and see if something happens," The boy groused, putting the rashinban away. "Why can't anything ever be  _easy_ for once?"

* * *

Kinomoto Sakura, to the slight annoyance of both Syaoran _and_ Yue this time, invited Hiiragizawa over along with herself and Tomoyo when the two girls encountered him on the way. They had been planning to visit over the weekend and help Syaoran with his homework because his stamina was too low and he was finally in danger of falling behind.

The new boy did look disturbingly like Fujitaka, enough that Yue was rendered speechless when he first opened the door. He also grew to understand Syaoran's earlier discomfort as well; there was something _off_ about the child, and not in a way that could be explained by his foreign upbringing. He just was not sure what it was.

"Are you well?" Hiiragizawa asked, as Syaoran unhappily served tea for everyone before they prepared to do their assignments. "I saw some pictures of you from last year, you seem to have lost weight."

Syaoran made a noncommittal noise; he did not want to go into it. Sakura, far more guileless and slightly clueless, launched into the tale with the proper omissions, but with the main message: Syaoran was attacked and still recovering.

"Oh my god," The boy remarked in English, " _Gomen nasai—_ but my goodness, how are you still attending school?"

"Syaoran-kun is strong," Sakura looked like she might launch into the even _older_ tale, for which Yue would have smacked her, but thankfully the child realized what she was doing in time and managed to leave it at that.

Hiiragizawa was either brought up differently, or trying to provoke a reaction; with this one, Yue could not be sure, but he went where none of the Japanese children would have gone on a first visit.

"Were you adopted?" He asked. "Your _otou-san_ looks different from you."

This irritated Yue too, and he had to give credit to Syaoran for managing to answer in civil tones, "Yue is not my biological father, _iie._ "

"When were you adopted?"

"When I was five."

Even Sakura sensed the tension in the air. "Let's start on the homework."

Hiiragizawa ignored her, and Yue had to wonder at Syaoran's narration about the boy's infatuation with Sakura, because now the guardian had a distinct feeling he was more interested in Syaoran.

"What happened to your real parents?"

Syaoran set his cup down just a tad too harshly. "They were killed."

"You had no other relatives?"

"They were killed also."

" _Kami-sama._ What happened?"

"I don't know. I try not to think about it."

The encounter placed Syaoran in enough of a bad mood that he was barely civil to Sakura and Tomoyo, who were at least as stunned and outraged as he and Yue were. They apologized in low tones and went away quickly.

"The nerve," The boy spat, close to tears. "I can't believe that."

"He's white," Yue tried to soothe, even though he doubted this was a valid reason.

" _You're_ white. He was just _rude_. It's like he has no sense of tact."

Sakura called later to apologize again.

_"I really had no idea he would do that, it's so out of character for him, he's normally so polite..."_

Syaoran allowed that this was the case. "He normally _is_ , that's why _I'm_ so surprised too. I didn't like him but I didn't expect _that_." By this point, he had calmed down, so that most of his temper stemmed from the uncertainty of how to deal with his classmate in school next week. "It's alright, it's no big deal. He just talked about things he didn't understand. Not like I can expect him to."

* * *

Akizuki ambushed Yue on a grocery trip while Syaoran was in school.

"So _you're_ Yue Tsukishiro."

It took a second for Yue to determine what was so strange about that statement.

"You are Akizuki Nakuru?"

She smirked, "So you've heard of me, I see."

"Did anyone tell you that in Japan, the family name comes first?"

"...Pardon?"

He let the matter drop, for now. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Are you going to tell on me?" She asked coyly.

"Depends," He said flatly. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"I was just curious about this friend of To-ya's," She leaned against the shelf of snacks. Yue had been looking for some chocolate ones for his little one, but they were out. "Found it weird that he would talk so much about someone who's nowhere near his age."

There were several layers to Yue's wariness. He _was_ nowhere near Touya's age, he just was not sure how aware of it this Akizuki girl was. Plus, there was the whole pedophilia thing Tomoeda had going, and he was not sure if she was insinuating _that_.

"His sister is close friends with my son," He replied.

"Aw! _Kawaii no Syaoran-chan?_ He talks about him too."

_Oh god._ "His name is Li," He replied acerbically. _You're not allowed to use his first name._

"Li, hm? Not Tsukishiro. So he's adopted?"

This reminded Yue too much of that weekend. " _Gomen nasai, Akizuki-san_ ," He stated coldly, "But I really must be going."

Akizuki sighed. "Too bad. I was hoping to have an interesting conversation...but older models can never compete with the new."

It was a strange comment, one that Yue did not know how to interpret. Nor did he care to.

* * *

An unnatural storm hit Tomoeda.

Sakura transformed her first card.

Yue felt his magic ebb for the first time.

* * *

Things only became more complicated later on.

"I really hope that whoever is causing this isn't going to do it this week, because we have an exam on Friday and I am _so_ not ready for it."

"Hm," Syaoran grunted, not looking up from his book.

"You've been quiet lately," Tomoyo noted, "Is there something wrong?"

" _Iie. Nani?_ I've just been tired," Syaoran winced, and Yue despaired as the child felt along his abdomen. "When is this thing going to finish healing already, it's been months."

Syaoran _had_ been withdrawn lately, talking less about what happened in school, and seeming disinterested in the magical happenings that were occurring around Tomoeda. Yue worried that they had been too hasty in dismissing Madoushi's effect on him. Maybe Syaoran was traumatized. He would not blame the boy, and he did not really mind that the child was staying out of things; he was still weak and recovering, and Yue could do with one less child to worry about. He just was not sure if Syaoran had other scars somehow. So far he did not seem to have night terrors, and he was eating well... _Why can't things be easy for the boy? Aiiii..._

"You and _Hiiragizawa-san_ seem to be getting along a little better," Tomoyo observed, "I saw you two chatting the other day during recess."

That was interesting. Yue did not know that.

"He's still a jerk," Syaoran replied moodily.

"Don't say that," Sakura reprimanded lightly, "He hasn't done anything, and he's been taking care to be nice to you."

" _Un,_ because—" Syaoran broke off, scowling, "Well who knows?"

The topic was dropped in favor of homework, and Yue also forgot about it. He was more concerned with his own failing strength. Yue had never had to eat before; he had only eaten to encourage young Syaoran to eat at first, and then to keep him company, because—why not? But now he was starting to feel real hunger, hunger that food did not satisfy, and he was starting to fall asleep sometimes; usually only for a second so, but the lapses in wakefulness frightened him. With each card Sakura transformed, Yue could feel his own life depleting, as if the threads that held him together were snapping with each turning of a card.

"Her magic is not mature," Kero said in worry a few weeks later, "So she's not supporting you. Her key's turned into a _Star_ key, which I've never even _heard_ of. _Star magic?_ What is that?"

"I'm not afraid to die," Yue insisted, "I'm just worried about Syaoran. I need you to promise me not to tell him about this." The boy had enough on his shoulders, and Yue did not want to frighten him. "I need to settle this affair, figure out what to do. I don't want him to wind up in foster care. That—that's not going to cut it if the monsters who destroyed his clan were to come after him again."

Outside of their group, Akizuki continued to be a general nuisance for everyone involved. Even Sakura did not like her.

"Aw, _Yue-san_ ," She clucked, as the snow melted in favor of spring, "You're not looking so hot. Are we feeling well, dear?"

_It's not 'Yue-san' to you_ , Yue thought angrily. The insolence of the teenager defied belief.

"If you file the restraining order," He told Touya, "Let me know, so I can file one along with you."

Between his own waning strength, Syaoran's reclusiveness, and Akizuki's constant interruptions, it was a wonder that Yue managed to help Sakura at all with the latest series of menaces in Tomoeda.

"You've been tired a lot lately," Touya noted one day, when Yue was so sleepy he barely answered any of the teen's inquiries coherently.

"I guess. A lot has been going on."

"This is different though. Your magic is fading."

Yue sighed. "Don't tell Sakura."

"Does Syaoran know?"

The guardian shook his head. "He'd only panic. He has enough to worry about."

"Yue, this isn't healthy."

_Tell me about it._

Touya eyed him. "Is there anything I can do?"

Yue rubbed his face. "I'm worried about Syaoran." It was all he was ever worried about, these days. "If this keeps going on and I don't make it—"

"We're going to stop this."

"If I don't make it," Yue insisted, "I need to know that Syaoran will be alright."

"You'll make it," The teen said stubbornly. "We'll figure something out. Did Kero not have any suggestions at all?"

"Kero does not know anything I don't know."

Touya cursed.

"I'll figure something out," Yue sighed. _I have to_.

* * *

It was sheer desperation that had him looking up Mizuki Kaho and writing a letter to her. Sakura was unable to provide Mizuki's phone number, but had a steady correspondence with her through the mail. Yue used the same address, feeling awkward but at his wit's end. For Syaoran, he was willing to set aside his pride. In terms of sorcerers, Mizuki was the only person he knew outside their group in Tomoeda that might be trustworthy.

_Mizuki-san,_

_We did not part with the best of terms, and I will understand if you hold that against me. It is not for myself that I write this letter, but for my son. I fear for his well-being, and I beg of you to read this, whatever your feelings toward me._

_I found Li Syaoran six years ago in a river. Earlier that year, the Li clan had been attacked. He was the only member to survive, and at the age of only five, had been captured and freed in many intervals. Some of the things he had suffered, he still refuses to speak of, either because he blocked them from memory, or they were too painful to bear. When I found him, he was injured, ill, and terrified._

_At the time, I took care of him because he was Clow Reed's descendant, and I sensed the blood of my master within him. I had thought to release him into Fate's hands once he had recovered; as we both know, Clow Reed never raised me to be a parent. I had neither the affection nor wisdom, as you probably know best._

_But Li Syaoran is truly a remarkable child, and perhaps you might have guessed from your time at Tomoeda Elementary. He proved to me that even someone who had gone through the ordeals he had, could find light and good in the world. I wish I can make you understand just how wondrous a person he is. The Kinomotos claim that his adjustment was my doing, but most of the time I took his cue. He confronted his fears, faced obstacles, and stood up for courage and determination, and I had taught none of that; that was all him. I vowed so long as I had the power, he would never be alone again, that I would always be there for him, to support and nurture and protect, and that so long as he and I existed in the same realm, no harm will befall him._

_I realize the futility of that promise. I am not sure how much Sakura told you, but over the summer last year, we went to Hong Kong for Syaoran's birthday, where we woke one of Clow Reed's old acquaintances, by the name of Madoushi. She had mistaken Sakura's power for Clow's, and had attacked our group. Consistent with my duties as guardian of the Card Master, I saved Sakura from Madoushi's trap. However, to protect my master, I was unable to save my ward._

_Syaoran nearly died that day. He was stabbed in the abdomen, almost disemboweled. When we brought him to the hospital, the doctors nearly could not save him, and Sakura's magic was not mature enough to render healing. He spent three weeks at the hospital, and could not make it back to Tomoeda with the others. We spent the rest of the summer at our apartment in Hong Kong, and came back just in time for school to start. Even now, nearly a year after the injury, Syaoran is still weak. He puts on a brave face and a valiant effort to hide it, but I see the difference. It was the first time he was injured since he and I found each other, and this happened not one month after Sakura became Card Mistress._

_I am resigned to my fate now, for my destiny has and always will be with the cards and whoever is fated to use them, but recent developments in Tomoeda continue to trouble us. Some magical entity keeps stirring chaos, and with each episode my magic diminishes. I strove to hide this from Syaoran, for fear that he should worry that he might once again be left all alone in the world. Sakura's magic is not enough to sustain me, and with each passing day I am realizing that I am running out of options. I have found no solution to this problem, and though I do not fear death, I do not want Syaoran to be cast back into the circumstances he had been before. He had finally found safety and security, and does not deserve to live in loneliness and fear. The Kinomotos are kind, but I cannot fathom asking Fujitaka to take on the responsibility of taking care of my child. However, I do not know where else to turn._

_Syaoran is descended from Clow Reed by his mother's line. With your knowledge of Clow's legacies, I was hoping you might know more about his background. He lost his clan when he was very young and had been on the run for almost a year before I found him. He has forgotten the clan he grew up with; he would not remember relatives outside of it. If you know any member who is willing to protect him, please, I beg of you, please let me know. This is not for me, this is for Syaoran, who never did you an injury or insult, and is as innocent in all of this as anyone can ever be._

He signed his name and delivered the letter with his heart in his throat, hoping against hope that Mizuki would answer.


	9. Chapter Nine

On Sakura's birthday, which happened to be smack in the middle of when cherry blossoms were in full bloom that year, Yue and Syaoran went to the Kinomoto residence to celebrate after school. Sakura had been slightly disgruntled because she had to take an exam that day, but was happy not to have to study in the afternoon because of that.

It was an uncomfortable walk, and an uncomfortable time overall. Syaoran had stopped talking to him, and Yue was not even sure when this started. He wondered at this distant behavior, and worried that maybe he was somehow responsible for it; Yue had not been very attentive to his young charge lately, being so tired and drained all the time. Were there problems at school, problems outside of the home, that Syaoran was dealing with but that he had ignored?

When did taking care of Syaoran become so complicated?

Sakura, being her usual chipper self, welcomed them in when they arrived. Fujitaka greeted Yue, and the two adults had an awkward moment when they just stared at each other. Yue always wondered how Fujitaka could be so inattentive that he could be completely oblivious to his daughter's various escapades, but he supposed this was all part of some grander design.

There were many friends from school in attendance, including Yamazaki, Sakura's three girlfriends, and Hiiragizawa, recently "Eriol-kun" to Sakura by virtue of some incident Syaoran refused to relate. If the two boys had become friends as Tomoyo suggested, Yue certainly could not tell; Syaoran seemed to go out of his way to avoid the other boy, and Hiiragizawa did not acknowledge Syaoran beyond the minimal greetings.

Much to his exasperation, Akizuki appeared to also have invited herself over. He was certain Touya did not want the girl anywhere near his sister, so he could not have invited her. It was a little entertaining to watch her pounce on Touya all the time, but mostly Yue just felt annoyed. Touya had become a confidant of sorts ever since Hong Kong, and Akizuki seemed to have made a habit of inserting herself between them. _No class,_ He thought, while thinking some ungenerous thoughts about British upbringing, even though it was never made clear whether she also came from the UK. _Honestly, how do they raise their kids these days?_

Fujitaka found him retreated away from the main group and handed him a cup of coffee, which never did anything for Yue before, but he appreciated the gesture.

"It's hard, living in a different country," The elder Kinomoto empathized, "Especially as a single parent. It's a good thing the kids have Nadeshiko's spirit, but even though I think they tend to make it easy on me, it still gets tiring."

_Aha,_ Yue managed to think through his weariness. _Nadeshiko. That is why Sakura was such a good candidate as a card captor._ Had Sakura's mother been alive, Sakura would never have gotten away with so much mischief.

"Syaoran is strong too," He told the man, "It's mostly me. I haven't been living up to it."

"Are you well?"

Yue looked at him. He was such a kind father to Sakura and Touya, but Yue could not ask him to take on a third when two children were hard enough. "I'll live," He said.

"Syaoran is a good boy. I like him. You let me know if you need anything. It's rare when both Touya and Sakura like someone; they usually pick different kind of friends."

Yue managed a laugh. " _Arigatou._ _"_

The children were singing happy birthday, and Sakura blew out the candles, face smiling. Tomoyo took a picture as they started cutting the cake.

"You take the first slice."

" _Iiiieeee,_ let _Sasaki-san_."

" _Li-kun_ should take the first slice."

"Just someone take the first slice!"

Yue shut his eyes. Somehow, the lively chatter drifted away, and he descended into darkness.

* * *

_"Eriol, just tell me how to do it, I don't need my magic!"_

_"No. You are not meant to give your powers to him."_

_"He's dying! I don't care what I'm meant to do, I just want to save him!"_

_"Patience...I will not let him...thus far."_

* * *

"How is Syaoran completely unaware of your state?" Kero snapped, "The little _gaki!_ "

Yue had woken, confused and disoriented, to find himself in Touya's room, lying on Touya's bed. He had fallen asleep at the party, and had not woken when the others tried to rouse him. Touya had managed to convince Fujitaka not to call the ambulance, because they all knew the chaos _that_ would cause. At the moment, Touya was trying to keep the others from coming into the room in order to give Kero time to check on Yue.

"Don't call him that, I hid it well."

"The heck you did!"

Yue ignored the guardian in favor of slowly getting up.

"We need to figure something out, Yue."

"I know. I wrote to Mizuki. She might...she might be able to help."

"Maybe," Kero said dubiously. "Has she responded?"

"Not yet." Yue's heart clenched with anxiety. He rested his head in his hands. "I don't want to give Syaoran up."

"The brat does not deserve you."

"Don't say that." Yue shook his head. "He's a good boy. He has always been a good boy. This year has just...just been hard."

It could be that Syaoran realized Yue was not fulfilling his promise. Yue was not sure. He knew Syaoran's old injuries still pained him, scarred as they were. Sometimes he would catch the boy in the kitchen, rubbing his stomach as he let the faucet pour over the vegetables in the sink. Maybe the boy had realized somehow that Yue was always going to choose Sakura over him, not because he wanted to, but because that was the directive planted in him.

"I need to go assure the others I'm alright."

"But you're _not_."

"Well," Yue halted at the door to look at his fellow guardian, "They can't know that, especially not Sakura and Syaoran."

Kero said nothing, only looking disapproving. Yue broke eye-contact and headed out to deal with the concern and to assuage everyone's fears.

* * *

Mizuki's reply came a few days after Sakura's birthday.

_Yue-sama,_

_Please be assured, there are no hard feelings between us. The tragedy of the Li clan was not unknown to me. In truth, much of the magical community assumed the child dead; it was only when I came to Tomoeda that I realized he was very much alive, and that you were to commend for it. I regret that my duties caused any conflict. I, as much as everyone in this world, work only on the orders of fate. Had I a choice, I would have done what I could to make things easier. As it was, my orders came across many generations, and I had to obey. All the same, I do not hold your comments against you. They were borne out of love, and I can never be offended by that, especially given that I, too, am fond of your charge, and wish him all happiness._

_Unfortunately, I am not aware of any other surviving relation to Li Syaoran. I fear he is the only descendant of Clow Reed left. However, do not despair. All things happen for a reason, and your devotion to your son will not go unrewarded._

_Best regards,_

_Mizuki Kaho_

Yue threw the letter to the side. He had no time or patience for meaningless platitudes. _All things happen for a reason._ That senseless massacre so many years ago, that left Syaoran a hurting orphan, that happened for a reason?

_All things happen for a reason._

That evening, Syaoran chatted with a classmate on the phone, supposedly to consult on homework. He seemed very upset towards the end, however.

"I don't understand why...but...just how long do you want me to keep this from...if you don't, I _will_ do it whether you want me to or not."

He hung up soon after that, and Yue did not ask for an explanation; he was too tired to be curious, and was just glad if Syaoran did not notice how his hands now shook when he lifted the pots and pans, and how sometimes he would find himself dozing off where he sat, losing seconds, even minutes, of time.

* * *

Akizuki invited herself over when Touya attempted to visit him.

"I couldn't get her away!" The teen mouthed, looking apologetic.

Yue was certain his annoyance alone gave him the strength to deal with the two guests.

"You need to take better care of yourself, _Yue-chan!_ " She sang, sounding much less concerned than her words would imply. "Honestly, _Syao-chan_ , you should take better care of your father!"

Syaoran looked like he had been slapped, and as Akizuki went on, Yue broke in to insert, "Syaoran is a good boy."

It was not an eleven-year-old's job to take care of his guardian, it was Yue's job to take care of Syaoran.

He was humming and grunting in response to their conversation when it happened again; he lost time. Except this time, when he came to, he was on the floor, and Syaoran's magic, bright and green and fresh like young grass, was welling up and _pushing_ , trying to go into him.

_What the blazes?_ He pushed back with his meager energy, now only a fraction of the power it had been. Hearing came back after awareness, and he realized the air was filled with sobs and frantic whimpers. Syaoran surged in his vision, his magic pushing again.

_What is he doing?_ Yue pushed him bodily away this time. He made this mistake of shoving at Syaoran's stomach. The boy went white as he tumbled back, agony choking away his scream.

"Syaoran!" Akizuki exclaimed, sounding concerned for the first time.

Touya collected the boy, who was still whimpering, looking stricken. Yue sat up.

" _Nakuru-san_ , can you leave us alone for a moment?" Touya asked.

"Aw, _Toya-chan!_ I want to know what's going on! What's wrong with _Yue-chan?_ "

"Let me go!" Syaoran recovered his voice, "I don't care, he's my _otou-san!_ Let me go!"

"You keep him back!" Yue cried, holding out a hand, ready to block for whatever he was worth. He was _not_ letting _Syaoran_ _—what was the boy thinking?!_ To give _his_ magic to Yue. He was not having that!

"Yue!" Syaoran sobbed, and burst into tears. " _Dad!_ _"_

_"Nakuru-san_ , if you don't leave now I'll make you leave," Touya warned.

"But _—"_

"Now, Akizuki," Touya glared at her, still maintaining a tight hold on Syaoran, who was straining to free himself. "I don't want to repeat myself again."

She protested again, and to Yue's utter shock, Touya let go of Syaoran to grab her by the shirt with one fist. Syaoran used the opportunity to dive for him, his beautiful aura spreading out, ready to feed into him.

Yue had no energy to combat it, so he did the only thing he could do: he struck his son physically with his hand.

Touya slammed the door. Syaoran uttered a choked whimper, a dark bruise blooming on his cheek before Yue's very eyes.

"Alright," The Kinomoto began, "We're going to do this. Whatever you just tried to do, _Syaoran-san_ , tell me _right now_."

Yue snapped out of his horror. "He was trying to give me his magic," _And oh god, he almost succeeded..._ had Yue been just a second too late, Syaoran's aura would have latched on.

"Is that how we can save you?" The teen demanded.

" _Hai!"_ Syaoran recovered, and his eyes flashed in defiance behind the glossy tears. _"Hiira _—"__

The world shuddered with magic, cutting through the conversation like a bulldozer.

Yue blinked, briefly disoriented. He shot to his feet before his son could.

"Stay here," He ordered.

"But Yue _—"_

"Keep him here!" He pointed to Syaoran while looking at Touya, "I will protect your sister, but _you_ protect my son."

"Yue!"

But Yue was out the door. He slammed it after him, spared Akizuki only a brief glance, had the time to wonder _—Did she hear all that?_ But it was not his concern at the moment. He had to go see what this latest disturbance was, protect Sakura...and try to get back home.


	10. Chapter Ten

Yue had never been to Hiiragizawa's house. There was one occasion when he almost went, but when he learned that Akizuki was going to be there, he refused to go and refused to allow Syaoran to go. Syaoran had gone with friends without him on other occasions, but Yue himself had never seen it, nor felt curious enough to investigate it. He was protective of Syaoran, but not to the point where he checked the homes of every classmate.

Now, standing in front of the familiar steps and the familiar walls, Yue wished vehemently that they had followed their initial instincts. There had been a whole variety of ways they could have connected the dots. Hiiragizawa's obsession with Sakura. The magical disturbances that began _right_ after he arrived in Tomoeda to join them. Syaoran's own unease. So many hints, and they had figured out _nothing_.

The sky was dark. Spinel's panther outline was hard to discern, even for Yue. The blue jewel on his chest gleamed with a deep glow. He looked at Kero with a smug look. Kero growled.

"You have passed many tests," Hiiragizawa murmured, "But whether you will pass this one, remains to be seen."

Pale skin against dark robes, the sun-staff flashing gold. Sakura's petite form whisked through the sky on bright wings. Something like adrenaline boosted Yue's faltering reserves and he dove after her to guard her from Hiiragizawa's spells.

A blur of red whipped by. Ruby Moon fluttered like a butterfly, a familiar, coy smirk twitching at her lips.

 " _Yue-chan!"_ She giggled, "I brought something for you!"

Mind still whirling from the turn of events _—Clow Reed is here, he is Hiiragizawa Eriol, they are attacking us, Spinel_ Sun—it took a moment for Yue to recognize her; the same Ruby Moon of his childhood, whom he had raced against around the cliffs of Dover, midnights on the rooftops gazing at the changing moon, dancing in circles in the snow on the winter Solstice. He once dwelled on the memories of their kinship, in those long centuries when he was all alone in the world; he had missed her, had wondered how she was, had imagined their reunions high over the steppes of Siberia, the peach blossoms lining the Great Wall, the glittering city of Shanghai. He had studied her hands and she had studied his; he had felt her wings and she had felt his. They had played in the moonlight while their master slept, when Kerberus and Spinel Sun were curled near the fire, and Yue and Ruby Moon both preferred the cold of the frost. He had imagined, imagined her humor and her wit, her likely remarks as the world turned and the streets filled with cars and the buildings stretched to reach the stars—then he saw the struggling form in her hold. One hand wrapped around his neck, choking him, while the other gripped his wrists together. Syaoran kicked, but Ruby held him out so his feet made only glancing blows; laughable on a guardian.

Rage blackened Yue's vision; fury as he had never felt, and his mind went silent and still.

"Careful, darling," Ruby sneered, "His neck is so easily _snappable._ "

"Let him go." Cold, like ice. Ice in his veins, curling to his heart. If Ruby Moon so much as _removed a hair on his head,_ Yue was going to end her. He was going to rip those butterfly wings from her back, tear them to shreds before her very eyes.

"Awww, _Yue-chan_ is angry, how _kawaii. Kawaii no Yue-chan!_ You two make such a pair."

_Akizuki_ , some part of his brain recognized. Fitting.

Ruby Moon glanced over his shoulder. "Some guardian you are," She taunted, "Aren't you supposed to be helping your master?"

Sakura can wait. Yue's senses did not pick up on immediate danger; she was handling her own, and Syaoran was the one who was more vulnerable right now. The boy was completely trapped, and unlike Sakura, he had no cards to help him.

"Ruby Moon," He released the full extent of his authority, "You and I shared common origins. We both look to the moon as our patron, and over the centuries I thought of you often. But if you harm my son, I assure you, all of that will mean _nothing_."

Ruby laughed; she had always been that annoying younger sibling that scoffed at Yue's seniority. " _Yue-chan!_ You are so cute when you're mad. You really think you have any say as to how you relate to me? We are both Clow's legacy, and we are forever tied. Nothing else matters. So for example, if _Eriol-sama_ were to fire a spell right now _—_ "

Yue's instincts blared in alarm. He turned just enough to see Hiiragizawa cancel out one of Sakura's spells before firing one of his own at her defenseless form _—_

"And I were to drop little _Syao-chan_ here—"

He did not even think. The wind streaked across his eyes. Magic curled around him, and he reached out with both hands. One arm curled around the small body, while the other summoned a barrier _—_

Just in time to block Hiiragizawa's spell.

* * *

Cold of another kind. His senses returned. He whirled around, but Syaoran was already on the ground. The drop _—it's too high, it's impossible _—__ Yue nearly released Sakura. He thought he was going to die right there.

But there was no blood _—_ usually there ought to be blood, from a fall like that. Blood and viscera. Syaoran was moving, sitting up on unsteady arms. Magic pooled away from under him. Something had softened his fall.

_"Syaoran-kun!"_ Sakura gasped.

Yue let go of her. He could not handle this.

The guardian burst into tears.

* * *

The house was...familiar, and yet not.

He could remember everything, once he saw them. Old antiques, every one. If they sold all of this, they would be rich for life. He held Syaoran to him tightly and firmly; he could not let him go. The boy was nervous, head bowed. The bruise was still dark on his cheek, and the sight of it pierced through the fog of his rage like an arrow.

"I should apologize for many things," Eriol began.

"You have no idea," Yue growled. "If you think just because you carry Clow Reed's soul that I would not tear you to pieces with my bare hands _—_ "

" _Yue-san_ ," Mizuki tried to soothe, but he was beyond speaking civilly to her either.

Syaoran had known. Eriol had come to Tomoeda to see the Card Mistress fully mature, but he had not counted on Syaoran. It still would not have been so bad, except Syaoran had been injured, and Eriol knew that if he did not reveal himself to the boy, the brat would have tried to help Sakura and gotten more hurt in the process. Eriol thus chose to reveal himself to Syaoran. At least the sorcerer had been considerate enough for _that_ , but for the sake of his _plans_ , he made Syaoran promise not to utter a word to anyone, going as far as to manipulate the child by playing on his worst fears. No wonder Syaoran had become so distant lately; he was hiding secrets from Yue for the first time, and it was _all Hiiragizawa's fault_.

" _Iie,_ he has the right," Eriol told Mizuki, "I did not play fair, and may have overstepped my bounds."

"You forced my son to hide from me," Yue snarled, "You can _bet_ you overstepped your bounds."

"He's not your son," Ruby Moon sniffed.

Yue whirled on her, pointing a finger at her face. "You stay out of this, or so help me _—_ "

"Please," Eriol interrupted, "Let me explain, before we all lose our tempers at each other."

Yue turned away from her. He was so tired. He had gone from thinking he was dying to thinking Syaoran was dead and now Syaoran was alive but Clow Reed was here and Clow Reed had tried to hurt him and his son—he squeezed the child more tightly, before he could burst to pieces. Syaoran allowed him, wrapping his arms around Yue's neck. His young aura had gone pale with guilt. Yue wanted to tell the little one that he was not to blame, that Yue was not angry at him—but he did not trust himself to speak.

"Clow Reed, as you know, could see the future," Eriol began, "But not all of it. He saw _Kinomoto-san._ He saw that she was young, that she would need help, but he saw that she had extraordinary potential. She will not be the only master of the cards, but she is the first after him, and the _only_ one he saw.

"You might not remember this, Yue. I am going to tell you something that may seriously hurt the feelings of your fellow guardians, so listen well. Out of all of them, Clow Reed cared the most for you. Kero was his first creation. A trial-run, so to speak. You were to be his last. Out of the four of you, you were the one that took the most time, the most care. Everything he thought was beautiful, he put into you. You were his greatest work, and he was prouder of you than even the Clow Cards, even his own biological children."

Ruby Moon shifted slightly. Though Yue was not looking at her, he could sense her disquiet at these brutally candid words.

"However," Eriol went on, "You were not perfect, and it took a long time for him to understand why. He gave all of you personality, made you understand the concepts of compassion and honor. All of you guardians were made to be loyal to him and whatever master followed, but it was blind loyalty. Programmed. You had no soul, so no will to make that kind of choice. The love you felt for him was not true love. You did not have that kind of capacity."

At his words, Yue's embrace loosened. He _had_ been a different person back then. Colder. Less prone to affection. Less _accepting_ of affection. The turmoils of the world seemed petty to him, and he had not understood the pain of loss, had scorned the anguish mortals felt. Some things he still despised, but back then much of it had been borne from ignorance, taking things for granted. Believing, as Madoushi had, that someone like Clow Reed could not die. He was too powerful, too much of a man to suffer such a mortal curse.

Had Syaoran been born a few thousand years earlier, would Yue have been able to see the wonder in him, as he did now?

"Initially, he designed you and Kerberus so that the two of you could discover your own masters. This was before he saw _Kinomoto-san_ , and before he realized the problem. He realized that because neither of you understood what love was, you could not possibly select a master who had both the magical competence and moral integrity to handle the responsibility of the cards. At least, not at first.

"So for the first candidate, he saw _Kinomoto-san_ , knew that at the very least, for the first master, just to be safe, he had to choose for you. Give you another lifetime with another master, in which he hoped that you and _Kinomoto-san_ might fall in love. Teach you that it is possible to love many in one lifetime. And most of all, train your _capacity_ for love, so that after _Kinomoto-san_ passes, you would be ready to select your own masters without further intervention."

Yue snarled. This resembled the situation with Terada and Sasaki Rika.

"However, there were two things he did not foresee. He did not realize that after he died, instead of sealing yourself away in the Clow Book, you would wander in the physical realm for all the years that you have. He did not know about Li Syaoran, or the Massacre of the Li Clan. It was not within his power to see, so he did not anticipate that between then and now, you would have found another means of learning to love, or that in the span of one inheritance, that you would have grown wiser than he can ever hope to be."

That was all well and good, but it did not soothe Yue's rage. He saw Syaoran's frightened gaze again as he dangled high above the streets, and Ruby's sneer as she cruelly taunted them.

"This does not explain why _you_ chose to do what you did," Yue spat. " _You_ knew all of this. _You_ knew about the massacre, and _Mizuki_ would have told you that Li Syaoran was in my care. Are you all completely without your own decisions?"

Eriol raised a hand. "Patience. Let me explain. The Clow Cards can only be transformed into Sakura Cards through adversity. I came to Tomoeda to ensure that this adversity is friendly, rather than hostile. That is why I kept myself hidden, and directly after she was named master. It was so I could prod _Kinomoto-san_ to transform her cards in a controlled environment. You were never in any danger, but I could not actually let you know. However, I felt that with _Li-san_ in the picture, I could not render the situation safe for him as well. That is why I revealed myself to him, but told him to keep this from you."

"I'm sorry," Syaoran whimpered, "He told me you were all going to be alright, so I wasn't worried at first, I just tried my best not to make you suspicious, but then you started fading—"

Yue hushed him, running a finger along the bruise. _Kami-sama, I did it for you_. "This does not involve you. Let me handle this."

"The reason I had Ruby Moon take _Li-san_ was because of the letter you wrote to _Kaho-san_. You mentioned a kind of trigger that pulled you away from your ward in favor of saving your master."

"Clow Reed designed that," The guardian blinked. "Don't tell me you were surprised."

"I was. Clow Reed planted that as a basic instinct. He did not intend for it to override your judgment. From your words to _Kaho-san_ , it sounded like this reflex took control of you. I needed to know if this was actually what happened."

Yue was speechless for a moment. He always knew this reflex was in place. How could it be that Clow Reed did not understand its extent? But Clow Reed was not infallible; over the centuries, Yue had learned as much. He tried to force the fear back down. _His ignorance could have been even more costly._ "So you endangered my son, just to test out your theory?"

"He was never in any danger," Eriol sighed wearily, "I am sorry I frightened you, but I asked Ruby Moon to drop him at my signal, over the safety area."

Yue looked at Syaoran. "Were you in on this?"

" _Nani?_ No!"

"Syaoran did not cooperate," Eriol attested, "You blame wrongfully if you think he would agree to such a thing."

"I fought her," Syaoran said miserably, "At first I thought she was going to go after _Touya-san_ , but then she snatched me and I couldn't do anything because we were suddenly in the air. I didn't know what she was doing."

"He's right," Touya said instantly, sounding like he was trying to calm a wild animal, "And even if he did, Akizuki is crazy as _ _—__ "

Yue's temper cooled only a little bit. "I'm sorry," He said in a gentler tone, running his fingers through the boy's soft hair. He then glared at Eriol. "Don't think you are off the hook for risking my son's life."

"As I said, he was never in any danger. I ensured he would fall over the safety area."

"And if he had missed?"

"You underestimate your fellow guardian if you think she would mis-aim."

"I was never going to _kill_ anyone," Ruby Moon sounded hurt, "I was just being a good actress."

"I don't care what you were _going_ to do." It took more effort than Yue expected to control his temper. "You couldn't have just _asked_ me about the directive?"

"And break my cover? _Iie._ _"_

"You could have asked Mizuki to inquire for you. Ask me for details. I might have told her."

"That is true, but it would not have been clear whether you skewed the situation based on your perception, and I needed to know if I am to make my decision."

"About what?"

"About how to save you."

Syaoran turned his head at this.

"You told Syaoran not to give me his magic," Yue realized, remembering the phone call and various bits of memory over the last few months.

"I had a feeling you would not prefer that," Eriol admitted.

Yue's anger cooled further. Eriol was right about that much. He supposed he had him to thank for Syaoran's current health. Syaoran still had his magic. He touched the bruise gingerly. "You almost failed."

"Ruby told me as much. But hopefully, I can make this up to you. There's another reason I came to Tomoeda."

Yue waited.

"What is that?" Sakura asked, voice timid.

"I am not the only reincarnation of Clow Reed," Eriol explained. "Clow Reed's spirit was split into two. I came to divide my power in half and give one to the other."

Yue's mind reached the culprit before anyone else. "Fujitaka."

" _Hai._ " Eriol went on over Sakura's soft ' _Hoeee!'_ to continue, "My original plan was to hand over one half to Kinomoto Fujitaka, but given what I have learned over the last year, I have an alternate proposal to make."

"You're giving that to Yue," Syaoran guessed.

" _Iie,_ " Eriol shook his head. "My powers are balanced, veering with the sun. Yue is the guardian of the moon. He cannot accept my power."

"So you're giving it to Sakura?"

" _Iie._ _"_ Eriol looked slightly amused. "If you're amenable, I would like to give it to you, _Li-san_."

Syaoran stiffened. Yue's hold on him tightened.

"How will that help Yue?" Kero asked.

Eriol bowed his head for a moment, as if struggling to find words. "You had bonded with this boy," He told Yue. "You have grown far beyond Clow Reed's wildest dreams. He never anticipated that you would find a destiny beyond the cards, nor did he imagine you would want to. He never meant to lock you to a fate you did not want, however." Something like pride and admiration spread across his countenance. "You even overrode your instinct for blind loyalty."

Yue looked away, remembering his earlier threat. He was not quite _contrite_ , but he wondered if _he_ overstepped _his_ bounds this time.

"I can give my power to Li Syaoran, and free your ties from the Book of Cards. You will no longer be bound to it, nor will you owe service to the Card Master. Instead, _Li-san_ will be responsible for sustaining you, and perhaps one day even making you an autonomous entity, given time. You would be free to make your own choices and craft your own future, away from the designs of a well-intentioned, but ultimately flawed, mortal man."

Shock rippled through the rest of them. Syaoran's eyes were as wide as saucers. Across the room, Kero, Ruby, and Spinel stared at Eriol, looking stunned.

"There will be consequences, however," Eriol went on, "Because you will no longer be tied to an undying entity, you will fade when _Li-san_ fades, unless he finds a way to truly set you free and make you self-sustaining. You will lose the influence you hold over the cards that fall under your jurisdiction. The Sakura Cards will now be able to affect you as long as they can affect _Li-san_ , which they may or may not once he adds my power to his. It's hard to say. The main thing is you will lose the privileges that came with being a guardian of Clow. You will have to remake your identity and your role. That is not a simple matter."

Yue hardly needed a mortal reincarnation of Clow to tell him such. He had wandered the earth for two thousand years and saw more than Eriol and Clow combined. Perhaps he did not always retain the right perception to understand and interpret the world around him, but all that time was not for nothing. Eriol's proposal sent a wave of peace through him, in a way that he never imagined possible.

Syaoran was still nervous. "But _—_ "

Yue hushed him. The child was young. This was where Yue could assert his authority as a parent. "Do it," he told Eriol, "But don't think that by giving him your magic, you have the right to override my directions. Syaoran is mine, not yours. You have no authority over him."

The other guardians choked at this. They could not believe that Yue would agree to abandon Clow's legacy. It occurred to Yue that he was well and truly separate from the other guardians now. They arose from a common origin, but their paths had diverged and can never cross the way they did before. Until the guardians found their own means of learning to love another person, they will never understand Yue. They will always be a puppet to a master, their destinies locked into a road not of their own making, because they are unable to make it.

It made him feel sorry for them.

Eriol smiled. "Of course, Yue. Clow Reed would have liked _Li-san_. He is a special child, to have given you such purpose."

Syaoran was still nervous. "But _—_ "

" _Xiaolang_ ," Yue said gently, "Remember what your _Mama_ told you."

The little one stared at him with wide eyes. Yue smiled reassuringly. His rage had completely calmed now. This _was_ a good way to make up for the year's worth of scare. And this way, Syaoran was better equipped to deal with future threats, if any mad sorcerer were to come back and try to finish what happened to the Li clan. Really, this proposal was...generous, of Eriol. He looked at the sorcerer, feeling a little guilty for his harsh words.

"Ego sum paenitet." _I am sorry._ "Ego sum in debitum tuum." _I am in your debt._

Eriol's smile softened. " _Iie._ I am the one who is sorry. I only hope this can make up, somewhat, the many centuries in which you had suffered. Yue, neither Clow nor I ever meant to hurt you. We only tried to do what was best for you, and you," He nodded at Sakura, "But circumstances change, and so we must change with it. I am glad that I can be here to witness this. It is an honor. And you," He turned to Syaoran, who had also turned to face him fully, "It is an honor knowing you as well. I know I did not land in your best graces, but I hope after this, we can still be friends."

Syaoran was still bewildered, and could only stare back in silence. Eriol looked at Yue.

"When you're ready," He told him, "I'll transfer you from _Sakura-san_ to myself, and then transfer my power to _Li-san_ , and this matter will be complete.


	11. Epilogue

There were several texts from Sakura on his phone, none of which appeared urgent upon a quick glance-over. Syaoran tugged at his collar and looked up. On one of the buildings, there was a time and the temperature, displayed in large, blocky numbers. He still had about four hours before he had to meet with Reza and Mark and discuss the new school they were going to found.

"Master Li?" his escort inquired. "Would you like to go to the hotel first?"

Dropping off his luggage seemed a good idea before he went around exploring the city. Syaoran inclined his head, and the escort—a pale man with faintly blue-gray hair that curled about his ears, picked up his suitcases effortlessly and led the way.

"How is Mark doing anyway?"

"Master Marcus is doing well. He has been very busy with conferences lately."

"Haven't we all," Syaoran muttered. "Do you go with him, or does he leave you at home?"

"I use to go, but I am not often interested in the subject matters."

They wound around the corner of the street where the airport shuttle would have picked up passengers. With an almost imperceptible twitch of his body, the escort opened a gateway, and they stepped into a more secluded area of the airport. In the distance, Syaoran could hear the beeping of trucks going in reverse.

"I'm afraid I don't have a proper gateway to the hotel," said the escort, who shifted into his true form: a tall, slender youth with blue-gray hair and eyes with slit-pupils. He was clad in blue-gray armor, studded with blue and purple gems. Moving the bags to one hand, he lifted the other and sprinkled tiny crystals onto the ground. They puffed upon impact and formed a small carpet of dense fog.

Not Syaoran's favorite way of travel, but it was a little more dignified than overt flying. He stepped onto the cloud, which lifted and carried both of them high over the airport. Below, he could see the planes turning into the runway, while one was already racing down.

Syaoran looked at the escort. "How old are you?" he asked.

The escort looked at him. "Why do you want to know, sir?"

 _Because you seem very emotionally empty._ Even Kero seemed more animated; increasingly so as the years went on. The sun guardian seemed to be having the kind of growth Yue had already gone through long before he and Syaoran ever met. Lately, the two of them had been meeting frequently to talk alone, often late into the night after Syaoran and Sakura went to bed.

"I am just curious, is all," said Syaoran. "My father was a guardian like you."

"So I was told." No expression or inflection; Syaoran wondered if there was any to express. "My master speaks of him often. He said Yue is very unusual."

Syaoran smiled. "Did your master create you?"

"Yes."

"Ah." Not very old, then.

They soared over the city, as the highways became loops underneath. Syaoran watched as the city went past, buildings with their steeples and dark rooftops, and large billboard signs, displaying public service messages as well as advertisements.

The guardian did not maintain conversation, and Syaoran did not try to break the silence. They reached the hotel from the roof, and went down; Syaoran was allowed into his assigned room before the escort headed to the lobby to check him in, once again in his false form. Syaoran took out his phone to answer the messages Sakura had left him; she was asking about the location of a phone number he had written, as well as telling him that a shipment from Amazon had arrived. He then switched to the thread with his father.

_< Mark has a guardian. Feels like a moon guardian too. Very young, probably at most five years old. He is very strange to interact with. Makes me wonder if you were the same.>_

His father had developed a strong fascination with emoticons ever since Syaoran taught him how to use them, and answered with a string of three different smileys ranging from a gaping one of surprise, an angel with a halo, and a grinning face sporting a pair of sunglasses. Then he sent Syaoran a series of chibis, one of which was on a motorcycle, another of which was a ninja.

_< Give it up, Dad, you were not cool when you were five.>_

His father finally relented.  _< Clow was unusual in that he gave his guardians more potential in this regard. Most sorcerers don't bother; they create guardians to serve them, not to grow in and of themselves. Not many have the ability either.>_

_< It's a little unsettling. He looks like someone who ought to have a mind of his own, and who kind of does, but his choices aren't really his. Not much for conversation either.>_

Another smiley, this time made of individual characters.  _< (*x*) when I was his age I was encouraged to be very curious; we all were. I asked a lot of inappropriate questions because I did not know better.>_

 _< But now you do.> _Syaoran sent that, and then,  _< I feel this urge to try to teach that one to be more human, but I don't know if that would even work.>_

_< It likely won't. They usually don't have the capacity.>_

_< Unlike you?>_

This invited another string of chibis, which Syaoran did not dignify to study. But then Yue sent a photo of the baby, looking completely confused.

His father took more pictures of her than even Sakura did.

_< What are you doing to my daughter?>_

_< I am holding a bobblehead. She is very bemused by this.> _This was followed by the picture of said bobblehead; it was of Peach from Super Mario.

Syaoran grinned. At least his father was having fun.

When Syaoran had left for college, the former guardian had been bereft. There was a time when Touya warned Syaoran that Yue appeared depressed, which coincided with what Syaoran had sensed. Stuck in college-life, Syaoran found it difficult to bring a dad over to stay with him. He had taken to visiting home frequently, which somewhat restricted his social life, but seemed to lift Yue's spirits. It was times like these that reminded Syaoran that Yue was not actually human. In many ways, he was more than human; he loved with more devotion and purity than any true father, but also felt the loss more keenly. It had to do with his immortality; mortal men could feel the passage of time, could feel their bones weaken and their sight begin to falter through the years, but Yue had been around for millenia without aging, had watched people leave him with the knowledge that he would have to endure an eternity with that pain. Right now, Syaoran's magic sustained Yue, and it has only gotten stronger as Syaoran himself grew more vivacious. There was nothing to really give Yue perspective.

The question of Yue's mortality had come up every now and then. For now, his father's existence was directly tied to Syaoran's magic. Syaoran had wanted to research how to grant Yue his own self-sustaining reserve, but his father had always encouraged him to put it off. "You have a lot going on in your life right now," he would say, when Syaoran progressed through school. "Focus on your studies." Now that Syaoran was full-grown, an investor in the non-magical world and a representative in the magical one, the arguments had changed to "you should focus on your children" or "you should worry about the meeting coming up in France".

It did not take a genius to realize that his father did not want this self-sustaining reserve in the first place, but Syaoran still felt uncomfortable. It felt like condemning his father to death.

He had not brought up the subject since his daughter was born. Yue had taken to being a grandfather with an almost hysterical energy. It was almost painfully obvious how much Yue missed Syaoran. Maybe the baby would inspire a love for life again and Yue would agree.

Though Syaoran could understand why Yue might choose to end his life eventually.

Four hours later, cheeks red from the windy cold, Syaoran entered the restaurant to meet with Mark and Reza. The two sorcerers had already ordered a martini each.

"Syaoran," Mark raised his hand out as he stood, "welcome to Chicago."

"I hope I haven't kept the two of you waiting."

"Oh, we were here for only about ten minutes. They just got us our drinks. Look, here's the menu," and Reza pushed it over to Syaoran.

"Is Sakura coming?" Mark asked.

"She's got some errands to run at her university," said Syaoran.

"Pity. I would have loved to see her."

Syaoran later asked Mark about his guardian.

"Oh thank you," the sorcerer exclaimed, "though he can't compete with the guardians of Clow. I don't know, most of the texts describe how to make golems. I've been trying, but I can't seem to give him the…oomf, if you will."

"It's incredibly difficult," Reza agreed. "Hard enough to make them somewhat intelligent."

"If Clow were alive to see what had become of his moon guardian," Mark shook his head, "I should be so lucky. Maybe if he wanders the earth for several thousand years, my guardian might achieve the same.

"I would hope it requires less time," said Syaoran.

"Mm," said Mark.

"It would be something to teach the students, at any rate," said Reza.

* * *

Three days later, Syaoran was finally home.

 _"Who's hungry? Who's hungry? Is it time for lunch?"_ He heard Yue chatter, as the baby gurgled and made baby noises.

Syaoran allowed the door to close. "Dad?"

 _"Daddy's home!"_ His father exclaimed.  _"Want to go see Daddy?"_

Syaoran kicked off his shoes and slid them to a neat row, before walking over in his slippers to shed his coat and hang it in the closet.

Botan was now six months old, wide-eyed and curious in her grandfather's arms. Syaoran collected her from Yue.

"Oof. Did she gain like twenty pounds when I was away?"

His father huffed. "She's a baby. Babies grow."

Syaoran made some random faces at the child, who looked at him cluelessly before smiling at him and laughing. He pressed a kiss to her head.

"Where's Sakura?"

"Back yard."

"I need to let her know that I'm back."

Sakura was sitting on the porch, wrapped in a fuzzy throw and sipping hot tea while reading a tablet. Her hair had gotten long enough to be braided.

"How did it go?" she asked Syaoran.

"Not bad. Picked out a spot. Old church; will need some renovating, but we should be shipping over the books soon."

"Good. I'm glad." She reached out when she saw Botan. Syaoran handed the baby to her. She wrapped the throw around the child. "Go change into something more comfortable and join me out here."

"Will do."

Inside, Yue had curled up on the couch. Across him, the television had turned on.

"Where's Kero?" Syaoran asked, realizing that he had not seen the sun guardian with his wife earlier.

"Napping," said Yue, flicking to a channel about cooking.

Syaoran went upstairs to get changed. Sure enough, Kero and Yue's room was closed. Kero had shared Sakura's bedroom ever since she first opened the cards, but ever since Syaoran and Sakura got married, the two guardians opted to share a room instead. Once Botan was born, Kero sometimes liked to stay with the baby, but he often stayed with Yue instead. The two were quite comfortable together; it was easy to see that the guardians had grown up together in the past.

Once changed into a sweatshirt and sweatpants, Syaoran went downstairs, heading for the back door. Before he reached it, he doubled back.

"Not going to come out?" he offered Yue. "I can make a fire outside and we can camp out. Sort of."

"Sure," Yue flicked the remote, then stood.

 _You're shorter than I am,_ Syaoran thought with wonder. It was not the first time he had noticed, but it was strange whenever he did. He remembered the first time he had seen him, when the moon guardian seemed to tower over him, silver light and white wings. Syaoran had been terrified at first. Later on, he had always thought of growing taller, of possibly being as tall as Yue, but he had never anticipated that Yue would seem smaller for it. And now he was taller than the former guardian.  _Wow._

He could still feel that sensation of being enveloped, of being lifted high up, of being cradled late at night after one of his nightmares. Yue's hands, so much bigger than his own. Yue, casually retrieving things that required all sorts of maneuvers and awkward positioning for Syaoran to reach. That profound presence near his shoulder, behind his back, when he faced danger but knew that a mighty force was there to protect him. Somehow, somewhere down the line, he stopped having to crane his neck up to meet his father's eyes. He grew too big to hug, much less pick up. Syaoran still remembered the first time he realized he was looking down a little to see Yue.

It still felt surreal.

The two ambled out. Syaoran summoned a pit to make a fire in, and Yue grabbed a throw to wrap around himself. He did these sort of things more to feel cozy than to ward off the chill. They were little things that he had actually picked up from Sakura.

Sakura was nursing the baby.

"Old church?" Yue shrugged as the flames bloomed to life. "Those buildings are hardy."

"Sounds promising, at any rate," Sakura agreed.

"I don't suppose you would write to _Hiiragizawa-san_ about possibly donating some texts," Syaoran looked at her pointedly

" _You_ can write to him."

"Eh."

"Eh," Sakura echoed a little mockingly. "Don't be so lazy. Besides, he would love to hear from you."

"It's just awkward when it's a school I'm founding."

"So?"

Syaoran shrugged.

Yue was gazing into the fire. Syaoran used a moment to stretch his senses out. He had always been sensitive to magic, but ever since Eriol had given his magic to Syaoran, and then tied Yue's life-force to him, Syaoran had been able to sense Yue in more detail. It was how he realized something had been wrong with his guardian, and how he knew Botan made Yue happy again.

Now, Yue seemed quiet, content. Syaoran turned his attention away.

Sakura rose from her seat when she finished nursing to put Botan back to bed. She declared that she wanted to stay inside, since the temperature was starting to cool. Syaoran and Yue opted to stay outside; the fire was still going, and the sun was still strong. Sakura slipped inside without them.

"This is wonderful," Syaoran remarked. "You know, even in America, not everyone has the luxury of a back yard or back porch."

"Mm."

He looked over at his father. "Dad."

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking about…you know."

Yue's face usually tightened when Syaoran said things like that, but this time he just smiled. "Again?"

" _Un._ Dad…"

Yue heaved a sigh, then stretched out a pale hand over to grasp Syaoran's.

"My child," said the former guardian, "I know what it is you fear."

Syaoran swallowed.

"I know it's hard for you to understand. You're full of hope and full of energy, there are so many experiences that you have yet to meet, many that you would long to do but never will, because you don't have the time. But do you really want to go through high school again?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do it all over," Yue pointed out. "Learn trigonometry all over again. Do homework and get graded. Take exams. Sit in those wooden chairs and metal seats. Listen to the teacher, read what is on the board. First year, after school activities, dumb teenagers who think they know everything. Do you really want to repeat all of that?"

"…I'll pass."

"I've lived for thousands of years, my child. I've done everything there is to do. I've seen everything there is to see. There is nothing new that interests me. Even if you tell me that high school today is different from high school in a hundred years, it won't be  _that_ different. The foundation is the same. And that is what life is to me." He squeezed Syaoran's hand. "Once you get to about a thousand years, you start seeing cycles repeat themselves, and I've seen a couple thousand years already. I have no wish for more."

"But you didn't meet me until now."

"I know," his father smiled. "I must have waited for this moment. But it's more of a comfort, Syaoran, than a source of horror or sorrow, to know that there is an end waiting for me. I'm ready to stop, Syaoran. I've done all I could ever want to do."

"But how can you  _know?_ "

"I suppose there's no way to know for sure, even knowing what I do," said Yue, "but I have no wish to see the world without you in it. Parents should leave before their children. They should not have to live with the ghosts of those they have brought into the world. That is my wish. I have seen you grow up, and I am seeing your children grow. I expect I will live to see them have their own children. That is a fitting way to finish to my tale. I have no wish to see further. A good story always has a good ending. To have one, it must end."

Syaoran worried his lip. "I'm scared."

"Why? Because you think I shouldn't die?" his father's smile became more tender. "That was probably a misjudgment on Clow's part, my son. Nothing is meant to last forever, least of all a life. You'll understand one day. For now, trust that I know what I want, and that this is my choice."

"But are you unhappy? Why would you want this to end?"

"I am happier than you can ever know," Yue murmured. "But part of my happiness is knowing that things will change. That Botan will not remain forever an infant, and that you will also grow old and gray. My joy is powered by the very fact that it will not always be this way. That these moments come but once in a while, and last for a blink of an eye. It makes them more precious, you see." He reached over and squeezed Syaoran's nape. "I do not wish to leave because I am sad. Stories inevitably become stale if they drag on for too long. I have lived a good life. I need nothing more. Besides, we have many years left. We are not at the end yet. Don't worry."

Syaoran was not convinced, but Yue's words did serve to comfort him. "Good, because I still need you around, old man."

"I'll be harassing you whether you want me to or not."

Syaoran let out a laugh. From inside the house, there was a loud squeal. Kero must be awake; Botan loved Kero, and would always react with glee whenever she saw the guardian out and about.

 _No, the end is far off yet,_ Syaoran decided, reclining back as Yue withdrew his hand to snuggle into his own throw. Life did not always go as planned, but there was no reason Yue would not be there for Botan's own high school years, or when she finds her own adventures. There were still many decades to look forward to, before they should even think about the subject.

For now, though, there is joy and happiness, and no more needs to be said.

 


End file.
